The Half Blood Prince Revealed
by kadedeetje
Summary: Harry's summer before 6th year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. PREHBP and AU-SLOW UPDATES
1. Prologue

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**Prologue**

The hot midday sun was beating down on the streets of Little Whinging, Surrey. It was a pleasant change from the rain and drizzle the last months had offered.

Somewhere in London meanwhile a veil fluttered for a moment and fell back into place. But with the slow realisation for the one left behind that this was not a good situation came a ray of hope and determination to make things right and help in any way possible for the one who'd gone beyond.

Back in Little Whinging the air suddenly filled with electricity. A few neighbourhood dogs started howling to the hidden moon and cats unexpectedly threw hissy fits at friends and foe alike. For a few people it made shivers go down their spine or have their hair stand on end, but for most however the moment passed unnoticed.

It was only the most gifted and sensitive among muggles and wizards alike who would notice the change in the air over the next week, hear the longing in the words in the wind uttered by a soft voice "Not long now. He's coming, he's almost here." By the time the last day of the month of June had come the air felt almost alive with anticipation. He was coming any moment now.

The only one who would appreciate the sentiments however was slumbering in the back of his uncle's car as they drove to the house that felt like solitary confinement. To him the voice saying "my dearest boy, you're here." and the feeling of a warm loving embrace came as if in a dream.


	2. Chapter 1

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**01 The unexpected start to Summer**

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Harry had reason enough to be sad, angry and upset. After all one of the two remaining friends of his parents and Harry's own godfather had been killed just a week ago. Mingled with the grief had been the knowledge for Harry that his death could so easily have been prevented. But despite of all the if only…'s the truth was that Sirius was gone forever. During the time between returning from the Ministry after the fight and his return to Privet Drive Harry had been on the slow but sure road to depression.

However something odd had happened when he returned to the Dursley home. Lack of sleep had caught up with him while still in the car and he'd dozed on and off during the trip to his holiday prison. He'd dreamed about a warm embrace and a woman's voice welcoming him back. Arriving at the house Harry had held his emotions in check until he was alone in his bedroom but then a wave of grief and despondency had hit him. He'd fallen on the bed in an attempt to keep the tears at bay and had had the eerie feeling of being once again lovingly embraced and tucked in. It left him with a warm feeling and in combination with the lack of decent sleep for far too long tiredness soon caught up with Harry and within moments he was deeply asleep.

The reason for Harry's tiredness soon became apparent as not long after falling asleep Harry once again found himself in the Ministry building, walking the now familiar hallways. For the last week he would see the fighting again, and that moment of surprise on Sirius' face when he realised what had happened. However although Harry did walk the familiar path to end up in front of the tatty veil unlike before Harry understood the voices from behind the veil. "Call and he'll come … Call and he'll come …"

And that was just what Harry did. To his utter delight Sirius appeared from behind the veil looking better than Harry had ever seen him. The first wave of pure joy though could not contain the swell of tightly buried emotions and Harry was bawling like a baby, powerless to stop even if he'd wanted to. But Sirius caught him in a fatherly hug and actually encouraged Harry to let it all out.

After crying for what felt like ages Harry was able to compose himself again and lessen the hold he'd had of Sirius. His godfather took this as a sign to start talking and to Harry's surprise Sirius apologised to him.

"I was on such a high with all these mixed feelings. The elation for being able to escape Grimmauld Place even for a few hour, the rush of being able to help and rescue you and the anxiety of getting caught as Azkaban escapee got to my head when I should have kept it cool and alert. I messed up seriously not so much by joining the others but by not concentrating on the job at hand."

They talked for hours and Sirius answered all of Harry's questions, telling Harry over and over again that Harry really was in no way responsible for his death, and that although he would have wished to be with Harry for longer, he was happy where he was, that James and Lilly sent their love, and so did his entire Potter family. And all Harry had to do was to think of him and his family and they'd be there in spirit to help him, guide him and watch over him.

When Harry woke up the next morning he felt refreshed and if not really happy at least in a better frame of mind than of late but a little light headed and he realised he hadn't eaten much in the last days. So he showered and dressed and started on cooking breakfast for himself and the Dursleys as had been his task in this family for a long time.

When his aunt appeared in the kitchen some ten minutes later she was soon followed by uncle Vernon and Dudley. Breakfast became a silent affair. When all four of them had had their fill Harry started clearing the table but his aunt stopped him. Harry was not to do any chores this year. Obviously the Talk they'd received when they picked Harry up from the train station had given the Dursleys the idea they were to leave Harry completely alone.


	3. Chapter 2

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**02 Surprise at 4 Privet Drive**

The idea had sounded great at first but in reality the almost Dursley free life made for a really boring and lonely existence. Nobody talked to him and for the first time in his life at the Dursleys there was no list of chores to be undertaken. He did get three good meals a day and nobody complained if he took a second helping. Harry's offers to help in the garden or with the dishes was always met with a resounding "No thank you" from the two elder Dursleys. Only Dudley had wanted to welcome his help at first but his parents did not budge and Harry was not allowed to help. At all. It left Harry with a lot of spare time.

But there were always school assignments, right ? Well. Not so this summer. After the OWLs students didn't get any assignments. It left plenty of room for revisions. He got through all of his first to fifth year course books in two days. It was hard to revise Transfiguration or Defense against the Dark Arts when you're not allowed to use magic. And he could image his aunt's face should he set up his cauldron in the kitchen to start on potions.

That left him with "Hogwarts, a history". Most parts were boring to read but a few chapters had interested him. Especially the entries on the Hogwarts founders had been fun to read. Harry had a special interest in Godric Gryffindor and found to his surprise the man had not only survived a normally deadly curse but when he returned two weeks later he had a lovely tan and a completely healed new scar on his chest in the shape of a lightning bolt.

But Harry was sure that even Hermione would not go so far as to do nothing but revise and read so together with the latest mandatory every-three-day-I'm-fine-note he'd added a little PS to please provide him with some interesting advanced reading materials and the occasional friendly visitor to talk to if they wanted him to survive the holidays.

Now a week into the holidays he wasn't feeling too bad. He would take a daily walk around the estate Privet Drive belonged to. Sometimes it would be a brisk fifteen minutes tour of the streets, sometimes a leisurely stroll to the park. And with a view to Mad Eye's constant vigilance he never did the same tour two days in a row and neither did he go out at the same time as the previous days. To the Dursleys he remained invisible, never spoken to or asked a question.

The nights were the best however. Harry could sleep without being disturbed by nightmares, or from his scar hurting of visions either sent deliberately or by accident by Voldemort. The only thing he kept dreaming about was the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic, where he would stand by the Veil, call out to Sirius and a smiling Sirius would always pop back from behind the Veil, looking better every day. Sirius would talk about Harry's parents, James' parents who'd taken him in when he left his own family at sixteen or about the marauders at Hogwarts, his uncle Alphard who'd chosen the Light side as Sirius had done. Sometimes Harry would talk about his adventures and about some of the things the Weasley twins had come up with.

Harry would wake up refreshed and in a good frame of mind but with so much time on his hand to think he would sometimes slip into a slight depression. And whenever his thoughts would stray to Voldemort, the Prophecy and Harry's future task and any indication came that Harry was feeling guilty or sad he'd start to feel a warmth coming over him, a bit like a reverse Dementor effect. He'd vaguely hear a soft woman's voice singing a lullaby or cooing as if talking to a baby, or he'd hear a man's voice telling him what a strapping little lad he was and how he'd buy him a baby broom come spring. He wasn't quite sure but he reasoned these could be his parents in better times. He'd check it with Remus, maybe he could tell …

Harry returned to his reading. In the chapter on Godric Gryffindor that man's personal life was much talked about. A fortnight's absence, later claimed as a relaxing holiday to faraway places, even made the big book centuries later ! Harry could almost see the future version of Hogwarts a history, where Harry was mentioned and his extra large hand-me-down clothes from his cousin would be twisted into a fashion statement.

Still chuckling to himself he quickly grabbed his wand out when he heard a strange sound, but just as quickly relaxed as he realised Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's beautiful phoenix was announcing his impending visit with phoenix song. And indeed the next moment Fawkes alighted at the end of Harry's bed and deposited a letter in Harry's lap.

Harry looked down at the letter and then lifted his head and beamed a thankful smile at the bird.

"Hello Fawkes, if Professor Dumbledore sends you, it must be important."

So he quickly opened the letter and Harry had his suspicions confirmed.

Dear Harry,

I have little time to explain as your presence is urgently required at the Ministry. Mrs Malfoy is claiming the Black estate for her son and she is helped by someone in the ministry by setting this up quickly and quietly. However Sirius left a will and your presence is needed to claim it.

We are however concerned this might just be a plot to get you out in the open, so please accept the lemon drop I'll offer you upon your arrival here. Should anything happen you can use it as a portkey to my office. It will activate when you say "wormtail".

As time is of the essence, please grab your wand in one hand and take Fawkes' tailfeathers in the other. Don't worry about changing clothes Harry, for the time that we'll need I'll change your clothes upon your arrival. Don't bother putting this letter away, as it will destroy itself in a matter of seconds.

See you in a moment Harry

Signed in haste

Professor Albus Dumbledore

Harry looked up again, scrambled off the bed and walked towards Fawkes.

"Thank you Fawkes, for helping like this. I'm sure you know where we're going so lead on." At this he grabbed Fawkes' tailfeather and closed his eyes in anticipation of the ghastly feeling of magical travelling.


	4. Chapter 3

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**03 The Hearing and The Will**

He looked up startled however when he heard the soft chuckling from Professor Dumbledore. When Harry realised the travelling bit was already over with, he broke into a smile and said softly to Professor Dumbledore : "I prefer Fawkes' way of travelling. Can I learn please ?"

The Professor twinkled back at Harry and said : "No can do Harry, would you like a lemon drop instead ?"

"Oh well, it'll have to do. Thanks."

A worried looking Percy suddenly came into view and Harry prepared himself for the worst and was thus mightily surprised when Percy said : "Good Harry, you made it here in time. The hearing will start in about five minutes. It is just down the corridor in room 17B, second door to the right. Presiding the hearing will be the Honourable Mister Marcus Flint Sr.

Harry and Professor Dumbledore hurried along the corridor. Just before entering said office, Professor Dumbledore waved his wand over Harry and suddenly he stood there in his Gryffindor school robes rather than the tatty overlarge hand-me-down muggle clothes he wore as he arrived. They entered and found Narcissa Malfoy and her son Draco sitting at the front of the room. Malfoy looked his cool self again. Mrs Malfoy must have been able to undo the results of several hexes and curses a few DA members had thrown at Malfoy when trying to hex Harry on the train ride home.

The only other occupant of the room was a sandy-haired woman in her early forties with a stack of papers and with a Quick Quill posed ready for action. Harry knew he'd seen her before but couldn't think who she was. He'd ask Professor Dumbledore later.

On the opposite side of the room another door opened, and an older version of a former Slytherin Chaser entered the room. He was clearly surprised to see Professor Dumbledore and Harry in the room. He took a seat and began the proceedings.

"Present in this room 17B of the Ministry of Magic, on this 8th of July 1996 are the Honourable Mister Marcus Flint, Head of these proceedings, today's appointed clerk, Mrs Lucius Malfoy, née Narcissa Black and her son, Mr Draco Malfoy, claimants and Professor Albus Dumbledore and Mr Harry Potter. We are here to finalise the estate of Sirius Black, deceased 24 June 1996 by falling through the Veil, as noted by several eye-witnesses of which one is present here."

"My apologies, Your Honour, but I would like to make sure the correct information goes down into the records of these proceedings. Actually, two eye witnesses are present, as in Mr Harry Potter and myself, Professor Dumbledore."

"As will be noted," claimed a peeved Mr Flint.

"As there is no will, the entire estate will be inherited by the sole remaining male heir, by name of Draco Malfoy, present at this moment."

"My apologies, Your Honour, for interrupting yet again. But I would like to inform you of the mistaken assumption that there is no will. Mr Sirius Black did make a will in August 1980, shortly after the birth of his godson, Mr Harry Potter, present here. A check at the legal Department of the Ministry would have been sufficient to receive a copy of the legal summary of said will. But I am sure that your clerk can do the necessary to obtain a copy for you now. It would make these proceedings obsolete."

At this Flint Sr turned to the clerk and barked at her "Well, what are you waiting for ?

The clerk just took an empty folder, opened it and showed it to Flint Sr, closed it up again, pointed her wand at it and after a very silently cast spell, opened the folder again to reveal a parchment that she handed over to him.

After examining the paper for a few minutes, the Honourable Mr Flint Sr looked up and grudgingly stated : "The proceedings to finalise the estate of Sirius Black are hereby closed. The entire estate will be divided as per the last will and testament first made on 2 August 1980 and later altered by said Sirius Black. Mr Albus Dumbledore, present at this time, was named executor of said will. This meeting is now concluded."

Harry had been pondering over the "one witness present here" statement and so was surprised to realise that it was already finished. Yet another question he had for Professor Dumbledore.

Professor Dumbledore looked down to Harry and motioned for him to follow him outside. Harry quickly stood up and walked out of the room, aware that the other occupants of the room had stayed where they were. "No doubt swearing their heads off for being caught out," thought Harry.

Professor Dumbledore just kept on walking and so Harry followed quickly behind. Soon Harry recognised they were heading in the direction of Mr Weasley's office. And true enough a few minutes later he could spot the red headed man sitting in his office.

Mr Weasley looked up as they entered his office. "Albus, Harry. How are you ? I figured you were on the way here when Fawkes showed up a few moments ago. Magnificent animal that is, Albus." gushed Mr Weasley.

"Ah yes, Arthur he truly is amazing. Even after all these years he still manages to surprise me. I was going to suggest using a portkey from here to send Harry ahead to my office but it seems like Fawkes has other ideas. I'm sure that Harry here won't complain either."

The quick switch of emotions seen on Harry's face made both men chuckle lightly. Everyone knew how much Harry hated the dismal feeling of portkey travelling. But now he'd lived through an apparition with Fawkes and relief and anticipation were abundantly visible on his face.

Harry turned to Fawkes and said a heartfelt "Thank you Fawkes. I'll order you the biggest box of the best phoenix treats I can lay my hands on for you."

"Oh no," sighed Professor Dumbledore dramatically, "Harry now you've done it. He'll be forever ready to transport you, even if it is only from one end of the room to the other !

But on to business Harry. I have a small errand at Gringotts, it should take me about fifteen minutes at the most. For safety reasons I would ask you to go ahead to my office. Remus Lupin will be waiting there for us. I'll answer any of your questions when we are there."

So Harry once again blinked his eyes and found himself in front of Professor Dumbledore's desk and sitting in the sofa opposite was Remus. That man was looking decidedly ill even with the full moon already a week gone by. "He must be taking Sirius' loss badly," Harry thought.

With Fawkes now perched on his shoulder, Harry joined Remus on the sofa. It looked to be even worse since the man had not even given a sign he'd seen Harry so far. So Harry did the only thing he could think of, laid his hand on Remus' shoulder and said : "Remus I'm so sorry for getting Sirius killed. I only wanted to go help him …"

As Harry was used to by now, once again the warm feeling started to spread, and he could hear both his parents laugh out loud, now surprisingly combined too with the well known barking sound of a merry Sirius.

Remus' reaction was startling. It was as if Remus too was able to hear the voices, and looking in his eyes was all Harry needed to realise Remus had actually heard it. It was as if a fuse was lit within Remus. "Did you feel and hear that Harry ?" he asked in wonder.

So Harry nodded and explained about his dreams since returning to Privet Drive, and how he'd felt and heard similar things anytime he was getting too depressed or started feeling guilty. When Harry mentioned the baby broom, Remus actually laughed out loud and said "It was your first Christmas and James couldn't wait to sit you on a broom. Sirius was just as bad and wanted to take you out on his bike. Lilly was furious with them both."

It was to this happy scene that Professor Dumbledore arrived. Remus quickly asked Harry : "Have you told him about this ?" When Harry shook his head, Remus quickly described the feeling and Harry added. : "I've dubbed it my anti-dementor."

Professor Dumbledore looked surprised and stated he'd never heard of it before and he would look it up in the next few days. Next he called for a house elf and soon enough they had a mug of nice steaming tea in their hands.

"Harry I had originally planned to wait until your birthday for this, but Narcissa's plans forced me to act much quicker."

"How was it you heard about it at all, Albus ?" Remus asked.

"It comes down to two people Remus, Percy Weasley and Mrs Finnegan." At this Harry looked up. "Seamus' mother, ooh that's why the clerk looked familiar." Professor Dumbledore nodded.

"Indeed Harry. You know last year Mrs Finnegan was going with Mr Fudge's opinion on Voldemort's return and Harry's role in that story. When the article in the Quibbler came out however Mrs Finnegan started having her doubts, helped along with Seamus' stories once he got back home. So when she saw the roster for this hearing, she told the one person she thought would be able to get the message across. She told Percy, who by now wanted to make amends, so he told Arthur, who tipped me off. We made it just in time."

"Would it have been validated though, if we hadn't been there ? They did tell two lies : the so called lack of the will, and the witness to Sirius' fall through the veil."

"Indeed Harry, they did use false information, but if no one contested that, it would have been accepted none the less. It is only in family law that this is still allowed. Too many families who are in power now have benefited from this rule so they won't change it. Now back to the original topic Harry. When your parents made Sirius godfather and did not name a godmother, Sirius immediately made out a will. To keep it simple Harry, apart from 100 000 galleons you inherit the entire Black estate. Even I do not know what that all entails. Now those 100 000 galleons I mentioned are for you Remus. There is also a letter for both of you." finished Professor Dumbledore as he handed them both an envelope.

Spring 1996

I, Sirius Black of Grimmauld Place, London, revoke my former Wills and Codicils and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament.

My dear Harry

If you are reading this particular letter it means I've passed away. I can but hope I lived a long and happy life but with Voldemort around I doubt that will be the case. Just be assured that I'll come back to haunt and help you.

You are now heir of the Black estate as I, Sirius Black, last of the line of Black, of sound mind and body, name you Harry James Potter my rightful heir. Other than 100 000 galleons to be taken from my personal vault and willed to my friend and last remaining Marauder Remus Lupin, all assets and goods from the Black Family Estate are now yours Harry. Should Remus have passed away in the time since my writing this and you reading it Harry the money will revert back to you but might I suggest to use it in some way in a Moony Memorial Fund ?

What happens next will depend entirely on the charms and spells that guard the Black estate. Unlike the rest of the wizarding community the Black family has made use of many holes in the wizarding law to set up rules of its own.

This said, it will depend on those family wards to see how far you will be allowed in. After my father passed away, it looked like I did not completely fit the mould of the Black family to make it to full heir. Depending on your status you will be granted access to one or more of the houses, manors and islands the family owns. Highest honour is Black Manor, a place I loved a lot but I've not been allowed there since I left the family at 16. Only the true heir will be able to go and allow others access (this place would have been ideal to hide out after your third year as it offers more security than even Hogwarts, Privet Drive and Grimmauld Place combined). The second page will automatically give you all the details as per your status. Somehow I would not be surprised if you'd make it all the way (and then some).

Although no matter what status you achieve in the Black family, you will be able to call upon the box I've had since I started at Hogwarts. As heir-to-be my dad reckoned I could make good use of it. Just say out loud, anywhere you are (best do this in private though) "I Harry James Potter, rightful heir of Sirius Black, claim the Black Box." It looks like a small version of a trunk, and just like a trunk it has many compartments, even though you won't see these. In one of those compartments you will find paperwork and deeds relating to your Potter inheritance. Should I pass away before you are of age you will not have access to them. Unlike with the Black family you'll need to be 17 and of age to claim them. Until that time you'll only have access to the small account set aside for your schooling. Gringotts looks after the rest with Albus as the guardian of the estate. A letter from your parents however I have moved over to another compartment. Lily, together with James, Remus and myself has set up this truly remarkable enchantment that when speaking the right incantation any note or letter will end up in the Black box. There will be letters for you from your mum, dad, Remus and myself, sorted per writer into their own compartment, written at random since you were born. You'll need a few days I expect to go through all of them. Without Remus knowing it I also set up another compartment in the same way but with notes addressed to him. I am sure you'll hand them over (without peeking !) once you have the box in your possession.

The Black family will consider you old enough, no matter your real age Harry, and as such no guardian will be required. But again, no matter what age you are, I think one can always use a guardian if only in the advisory aspect of that job. I hope you won't mind but I've bequeathed my guardianship over to Remus. I believe that both of you will benefit from this.

Anyway, by now the charms will have worked their magic so you'd better check out what the next parchment has to say.

See you in your dreams kiddo.

With lots of love from your godfather

Sirius – Padfoot - Black

Harry was astonished at all the information he'd been given. The only other thing that really stood out next to the box and the promise of letters was that he now knew where his anti-dementor came from. Sirius was helping him, just as he'd promised.

Looking up from his letter Harry noticed tears rolling down Remus' face but at the same time a small smile hovered around his lips. Remus looked up and looked questioningly to Harry. Harry's sole response was a fervent nod, knowing that Remus wanted to know if he was OK with the guardian role for Remus. A wide smile broke out on the man's face.

Harry too sported a smile when he returned to his second page of the letter and he was mightily surprised at what he found. "Well, will you look at this", he exclaimed after reading the first paragraph.

At long last, the Black family has a true heir again.

I, Sirius Harold Black, born 31 July 1499, now in my 190th year have survived several generations of my descendants, and now my however-many-greats-grandson will soon inherit the estate. He has however shown great tendency to dwell too much in the Darker Side of our society and as such I hesitate to give him full access to the Black estate. I have therefore created a Black Family Pureness of Heart charm that will grant several different levels of access to the various properties, and only the purest of heart will have full access to my entire beloved estate.

Even though the Charm has detected you are not of bloodkin to the Black family, your status as rightful heir cannot be denied and I, Sirius Harold Black look forward to making your acquaintance upon your arrival at Black Manor. Heavily warded as it is, only the true heir will be granted access when speaking these words : "Always Pureness of Heart". Further instructions will await you upon your arrival.

Harry looked up again and saw Professor Dumbledore's questioning look. "Harry, why are you looking at that empty parchment for so long ?" he asked.

"But Sir, there is …" Harry's voice trailed away. "How much do you know about the Black family, Sir ?"

"All we are aware of Harry is that the family holds many surprises. From what Sirius told me, only a true Black would be given the control over the estate and depending on the result of this so-called 'family charm' you could go to certain properties. Sirius inherited Grimmauld Place and a small island some place tropical, but I know that there is also a Black Manor somewhere. Sirius' father had access there, but after his death Sirius himself did not."

"I remember that place," Remus said, "when we were in our second year, James, Peter and I were invited to spend the Easter holidays there. Peter never got to go as his mother was taken ill. The place was rather grand, and they had beautiful gardens. Sirius' father wasn't all too bad when his wife wasn't around. We had a grand time !"

"Could we go to Grimmauld Place please. I believe the family tapestry is still there. It would make it a bit easier to explain I think." Harry had barely finished speaking and Fawkes was already sitting on his knee, ready to transport Harry to the Order Headquarters.

Author note: If you enjoyed these I'd like to hear any comments over on my yahoo group at http/groups. will find three more chapters and a little extra in the files.

kadedeetje


	5. Chapter 4

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**04 Surprises and Meetings**

Once again Professor Dumbledore sighed with a smile : "Well Fawkes has decided I see. We'll see you in the Tapestry room then." Harry grabbed Fawkes' tailfeather again and in a flash of light he appeared in Grimmauld Place. "Thanks again Fawkes, I'll have to buy you even more treats if you continue like that." Harry smiled.

Harry turned his attention to the tapestry on the wall and did a double take at the sight that met his eyes. Rather than the half eaten cloth he remembered from his previous visits a beautiful display had taken its place, and even more startling, there was his name, right under Sirius' name, the two linked by a thick solid silver line. Harry traced back the different generations and indeed found the entry for Sirius Harold Black. Harry was so engrossed in all the intricate detail that had appeared on the tapestry, that he failed to notice the absence of Professor Dumbledore and Remus. It wasn't until Fawkes let out a high note that he noticed he now carried a letter.

Harry

Are you OK wherever you are and why can't we get into Grimmauld Place ?

Remus

Harry pondered the situation for a moment and said out loud : "I am not sure how to go about this, but could you please allow access to Professor Dumbledore and Remus Lupin when they call in a moment ?"

A desk in one corner held writing utensils so he quickly penned a note.

Remus,

I am safe and sound in Grimmauld Place.

Please try again to get in here. It should work OK for you both now.

Harry

And indeed with a soft crack his two visitors appeared in front of him, both looking rather surprised when they took in their surroundings. The contrast was amazing. Where this had once been an almost dreary room it now looked very cosy and inviting with sunlight streaming through the windows.

Professor Dumbledore was the first to regain his composure and gesturing to the general improvement of the room asked : "Harry can you explain any of this ?"

Harry pointed at the top of the tapestry where the family motto stood and said : "I won't be able to tell for certain until I go to Black Manor, but my guess is that through the years the family motto has been seriously misinterpreted. The 'Toujours Pur' or 'Forever Pure' did not mean pure of blood but of heart. One of Sirius' forefathers, Sirius Harold Black was a wizard very much so on the Light side that he set up this family charm as you called it to look to the next heir, and depending on the result of this scan, more or less access was granted to the estate. The charm was performed on me too while I was reading Sirius' letter in your office Sir, the empty parchment however held what you could call my results of the examination.

As for you not being able to enter, I guess the protection charms have reset themselves now that there is a new owner of the place. Before, Sirius as heir had given permission for you to enter and now I as his heir have done so too. Until I get to Black Manor and look further into the protection I'm afraid you won't be able to use it as Order Headquarter as no one else will be able to get in. But I'm sure I'll soon have it sorted.

As for going to Black Manor, do you think Fawkes will come to me should I call for him Sir ? If he would, then I could send him with a note with instructions as to how to get there when it's set up for you to come too."

"Yes Harry I do think Fawkes will come when you call for him, especially if he's aware you will do so. But it's well past noon already, why don't we return to Hogwarts, have something to eat before you go off on your tour. And I'll have to alert the Order members that headquarters is temporarily eh, well out of order so to speak."

So after a good meal of chicken and ham pies, with a very nice treacle tart to follow, Harry set off to Black Manor. Under the watchful eyes of Remus and Professor Dumbledore, Harry silently said "Always Pureness of Heart" and just as if he'd travelled with Fawkes he found himself in the centre of a huge hall, located in a building four stories high. Straight ahead of him a staircase started its ascent, wrapping around the whole outside of the hall, it winded its way up to the top floor. The roof was a large glass dome like structure and bright sunlight seemed to pour in from all over the place. The next thing he set eyes on was a sphinx, just like the one he had encountered during his third task of the triwizard tournament.

She spoke with a very gentle voice : "If yesterday had been Wednesday's tomorrow and tomorrow is Sunday's yesterday, what day would today be ?"

Harry blinked at this sudden riddle but asked to hear it again, spoken a bit slower. She complied with his request and slowly repeated the riddle. "Wednesday's tomorrow would be Thursday and is considered yesterday, and Sunday's yesterday is Saturday but that would be tomorrow, then today is Friday." He looked at the sphinx and saw a radiant smile but the creature said : "I knew I should have tried something more difficult."

"What would happen if I had not guessed correct ?" Harry asked.

"I still would have let you pass, as you are now my new master. Welcome to Black Manor." Harry grinned at this, jokes seemed to be present in the Black family after all. "Thank you. When my friend Hermione comes to visit I'll let you know. She'll love to practice riddles with you."

The next he heard was a small plop and an old house elf appeared next to Harry. "Is you our new master sir ? We heard a new master is coming."

Well used to the way house elves spoke Harry answered "Well hello there. My name is Harry and I am indeed your new master. What is your name please ?"

Her eyes seemed to become even bigger when she heard Harry ask for her name. "I is Blythe, sir how can I helps you ?"

"Well, can you tell me where the new masters go for instructions please. I have a lot to learn." Harry asked, certain she'd be able to help.

"Oh yes, sir I knows, old master's study is where they go. I shows you Master." And she led him to a door to the right of him.

"Hmm, Blythe, please don't call me master, Harry will do just fine."

Harry could see her eyes widen yet again and her ears were slightly trembling, hopefully just from excitement when she agreed : "Yes, Harry I will do as you says."

By now they arrived at the door which when she opened it came out into a huge study, lined with rows and rows of shelves holding books and all kinds of strange equipment. It reminded him a little of a combination of the library at Hogwarts and the Headmaster's office. He was quite startled however when he saw someone sitting in the chair by the desk and hardly contained a joyous cry of "Sirius" when he recognised the figure.

"This can't be true. Sirius never had access according to the letter." Suddenly he realised the house elf standing next to him looked from him to the figure at the desk and she stammered "Sir, he sees you, oh joy, he is good wizard he is sir." And slowly tears started to roll from her huge eyes.

"Blythe, are you alright ? Why are you crying ?" Harry asked, somehow nervous of the answer.

But it was the man at the desk, looking and sounding so much like Sirius who answered his question. "Since I passed away now 300 years ago, only a few of the Black heirs have been allowed inside the Manor, but no one has seen the place in all its splendour. I am sorry to say you are the first heir to actually see me, since I died. It will be a nice change to have someone to talk to."

It was Harry's turn to widen his eyes as he realised the original Sirius Black stood in front of him. "Sir, it's an honour to make your acquaintance. I wish I could say I've heard a lot about you, but my information is very limited. But the fact that your wards have baffled my Hogwarts' Headmaster is a sign I could learn a lot from you if you are willing to teach me. Would others be able to see you too when they come to visit ? If they can, I'll have to warn Remus. He was best friends with Sirius and you two look so much alike he'll be too startled otherwise. Only the fact he picked up on my anti dementor seemed to rouse him from his grief."

"Hang on, young one, you are going too fast. Who is this Sirius and Remus you are talking about ?" ghostly Sirius asked.

"I'm sorry, sir. Sirius Black, the last of the Black was my godfather. He fell through a veil in the Ministry two weeks ago when he was hexed by his cousin Bellatrix. Remus Lupin was one of the four Marauders as they were known at Hogwarts. Sirius, Remus, my father James Potter and a boy called Peter were best friends. Remus mentioned just before I came here that my dad and him came here one Easter holiday. But that must have been some 25 years ago."

"Ah yes, I remember those three. Mischief making was written all over their face, mind you not an ounce of evil in any of the three. But how was it possible that Sirius was not allowed rights to come to the manor then ? Do you know ?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't learn of either of their existence until three years ago when Sirius escaped from Azkaban to come protect me. We had Remus that year as DADA teacher. But I believe that Sirius' father died while Sirius was in prison. Maybe the charms did not take those circumstances into account."

Harry saw the ghost only ended up with more questions, so he started to tell him about the young marauders, about the betrayal by Peter, the wrongful imprisonment of Sirius, his escape and the little time they had been able to spend together.

"Sir, maybe we could continue with this later. Remus and Professor Dumbledore will be getting worried about me. Can I invite them over, and some of my friends too for that matter ? You would need to tell me how I go about it though. At Grimmauld Place it seemed to work to just ask but I guess that might be too easy ? And would the Ministry be able to detect underage magic here ? In that case we could practice a bit over the summer. And are there more house elves than Blythe around ? If I invite all these guests for the remainder of the summer holidays she will have far too much work."

Ghostly Sirius was laughing at the stream of questions coming from the young man. "Now, Harry, you are lord and master of this place, so you can invite who you want anytime you fancy inviting someone. The underage magic cannot be detected, nor can any magic for that matter. For now it would be enough to indeed say out loud who you want to invite and they'll be allowed in, but if you want I'll tell you all you want to know about this ward and the charms in place. Your visitors will be able to see what you allow them to see. And Blythe is indeed the only house elf left on this estate and she is a bit elderly. It is very good of you to think of that."

Harry was thinking hard. If he could make Professor Dumbledore see the advantages of staying here rather than at Privet Drive and he invited his friends over for the summer they could have a bit of practice and enjoy themselves too for a change, without worries of attacks and such.

"Alright, I will return to Hogwarts and Privet Drive for tonight and return tomorrow with Professor Dumbledore and Remus so we can have a good look around and meet with you and then I'll arrange for my friends to come in a few days so I have some time to get to know you and explore the Manor before that. Can you tell me how they can come here ? Do they too say the "Always Pureness of Heart" incantation, or is there something else ?"

The answer was quick to come : "The "Always Pureness of Heart" is reserved for the heir, but you can make up your own incantation for your guests. It is really as easy as saying it out loud."

"So 'Harry's Haven' sounds like a good incantation to get them here and for now Professor Albus Dumbledore and Remus Lupin will be welcome here please. And now I'll be going but I will be back tomorrow Sir." Harry had hardly finished speaking when a phoenix appeared on the chair next to him. He was about to say hello to Fawkes, when he realised this phoenix looked different. He turned to the ghost and asked : "Where did this phoenix come from ?"

"Ah yes, another of the unusual occurrences Harry. She was mine, but would only show herself to an heir who was able to see me. I'm glad to present Lilly to you. She will now be your phoenix."

Harry turned to the beautiful bird. "Lilly, you are beautiful. Thank you for being my phoenix. I'm truly honoured. My mother was called Lilly too you know." Harry said. "Will you bring me to Hogwarts please, Lilly, the headmaster's office. And beware there is a very nice man there called Fawkes. He will be surprised I'm sure when he sees you."

Author note: If you enjoyed these I'd like to hear any comments over on my yahoo group at http/ groups. yahoo. Com / group / TheHalfBloodPrinceRevealed/

You will find two more chapters and a little extra in the files.

kadedeetje


	6. Chapter 5

**05 Bring on the Summer**

A moment later Harry alighted in Professor Dumbledore's office with Lily perched on his shoulder only to find everyone gone. Only the portrait of Phineas Nigellus was inhabited for the moment. And that man said : "There you are, Harry. Albus said he'd be back shortly and would you please wait. Now who do you have there ?"

"Ah Professor, please meet Lilly, she used to be Sirius Harold Black's phoenix and now I'm the one honored with her presence."

Phineas was looking very surprised when he'd mentioned this name. "A Black you say, when was he around again ?"

Harry obliged him by retelling him the details he'd seen on the tapestry at Grimmauld Place and asked Phineas a question. "Professor, can you still go to Grimmauld Place please ?"

Phineas grumbled "Why would I not be able to go there, it's my ancestral home."

Harry replied with "Please humor me, did you try at all today ? Would you mind going there now please ?" when he saw Phineas shake his head.

Soon enough Phineas stormed back into his portrait and yelled "The audacity ! What is the meaning of this ? How dare you ban me from my home ?"

"My apologies, Professor, I have inherited the Black estate today, and the wards have reset themselves to allow the new heir to grant his own access. I'll be able to restore your entry tomorrow, as soon as I've been back to Black Manor."

It was the wrong thing to say, as once again Phineas exploded in rage. "Black Manor, what are you talking about. That place never existed, it was only a fairy tale location."

"Phineas calm down", came suddenly the voice of Professor Dumbledore, who, together with Remus had entered the office without Harry noticing. "The young man is correct. Black Manor does exist. Sirius' father was able to go there. We will discuss this later Phineas. There is something Harry has to do urgently first."

With this Professor Dumbledore turned to Harry and said : "It seems Mrs Malfoy and her cronies were not happy with us snatching the Black estate away from them. With Mr Malfoy Sr still in a Ministry holding cell, they have no access to their usual pile of funds and were getting desperate by my guess. They tried to attack Privet Drive about an hour ago, but they were very clumsy in their attempt and we were able to scare them off. No harm was done to your relatives, but I think it would be best to move you out of Privet Drive tonight. Remus will come along and help you pack and I'm sure that Fawkes will be only too happy to oblige to do two more trips with you, Harry."

At this, Professor Dumbledore turned to look at Fawkes and suddenly realized a second phoenix sat on his perch. "Harry you keep surprising me today. Who is this then ?"

Lilly flew to Harry's shoulder and he introduced her "Lilly meet Remus Lupin and Professor Albus Dumbledore. Gentlemen, please meet Lilly, erstwhile phoenix of Sirius Harold Black. I have now been honored with her presence."

And without allowing the men to regain their composure Harry continued : "Professor Dumbledore could I stay at Hogwarts for tonight please ? I was hoping you would see the possibility to join me at Black Manor tomorrow. I would very much like to introduce you to someone. And maybe I could stay there for the rest of the summer. The place is better warded than Hogwarts, Grimmauld Place and Privet Drive combined and there would be ample room for my friends too."

Professor Dumbledore didn't immediately reply but after a few moments said: "We'll talk more after you've packed up your things at Privet Drive. Remus, you too can stay here tonight. That was a very good suggestion Harry."

So Remus and Harry, with Lilly's help, returned to Privet Drive. Only some eight hours ago Harry had felt bored and now he'd spent one of the most fascinating days since entering the wizard world. Oh yes, his summer looked to become a good one.

While Remus magic-ed Harry's belongings into his trunk, Harry himself went downstairs to say goodbye to his aunt and tell her he was leaving for the summer. When he returned to the smallest bedroom in the house Remus had just finished packing. Harry checked under the loose floorboards and managed to rescue a few more bits and bobs. Less than 15 minutes after their arrival at Privet Drive the two were back in Hogwarts.

After a hearty meal in the kitchens they found themselves, with steaming mugs of tea in their hands, sitting in Professor Dumbledore's sofa and Fawkes and Lilly looked like they were chattering like a pair of lovebirds.

So Harry explained his plans for the summer and hoped fervently they met with their approval.

"Professor Dumbledore, this is what I wanted to suggest for my summer. As you've already experienced first hand, nobody can get into any of the Black residences as long as I have not allowed them entry. From the little I've seen of the manor it is huge and could probably house half the Order members with ease. Now I have it from a good source that no magic, underage or not can be detected there. What I thought to do was simple really. I'd explore the place for a few days and after that I invite the usual crowd out there. We could have a little practice and lots of fun for the rest of the time. We'd need adult supervision of course, so maybe Remus could come and chaperon us and both Mr and Mrs Weasley could stay there. You too Professor would be welcome at any time. I believe the gentleman I'd like you both to meet could throw some light on the Black family charm and wards.

There is one house elf called Blythe, but she's elderly, so maybe if you don't mind Professor I could ask a certain house elf here if he would join me for the summer. And maybe if Winky still prefers a family above Hogwarts, she could come too, and divide her time between Black Manor and Headquarters throughout the school year. I'll have to see what I can do about Kreacher though. I'm sorry but he cannot stay after what he did.

Now the usual communication may be a bit dodgy, but I'm sure with Lilly's and Fawkes' help we'd have no problems.

Do either of you think this would be acceptable ?"

As usual Professor Dumbledore seemed to be able to gather his wits together the fastest and spoke as first "I cannot find faults with your plan Harry, but I'd like to reserve judgment until tomorrow, after the visit to Black Manor. I'd prefer to find out more about those wards just to be on the safe side."

"As for me Harry, I'd love to spend the summer holidays with you, no matter where you are. I could teach you a bit of defense and tell you about your parents and our Hogwarts days."

"Ooh that reminds me," said Harry "Sirius mentioned a box in his letter. I can ask for it no matter where I am. I don't know what's going to happen though but can I ask for it now Professor ?" And as Professor Dumbledore nodded his head Harry said the incantation Sirius had written out for him "I Harry James Potter, rightful heir of Sirius Black, claim the Black Box." And with a whoosh of air Harry suddenly held a box, much like a muggle jewellery box with the Black family crest and the "Toujours Pur" motto underneath. For a moment Harry was disappointed. Such a small box would not hold that much…" until he recalled this was a wizard's box. He looked up and saw both men trying to hold in their laughter. Not sure what was wrong he now also noticed that the few headmasters back in their paintings were looking very amused.

"What ? What happened ? Remus, why are laughing at me ?"

"Where … where is Colin Creevey and his camera when you need him ? " Remus hardly managed to utter, "Sirius left you a little prank as well Harry. Just imagine Tonks' hair. Yours is now bright pink too."

Harry smiled "Oh I hope it will last till tomorrow. I can't wait to show them at Black Manor. I'd like them to know Sirius better and this is so like him ! Professor, do you have a mirror handy ?"

Professor Dumbledore obliged and with a swish and a flick he held out a hand mirror for Harry to see Sirius' prank in all its glory.

Still grinning Harry returned his attention to the box. Not knowing what to expect he opened the lid and there was a letter addressed to him.

Dear Harry,

A last prank from your godfather to introduce you to the wonders of this box. Close the box, think of a mirror and reopen the box and see for yourself how useful it can be.

Harry obligingly closed the lid, thought of a mirror and reopened the box to find a hand held mirror ready for his use. Pure habit made Harry look into it and he let out a guffaw as the mirror said "Wotcher Harry. Looking good !" in Tonks voice. He passed the mirror on to a laughing Remus, who promptly blushed as the mirror said "Hello gorgeous, you free tonight ?" Both Harry and Remus were now waiting to see what would happen when the professor looked in the mirror and they couldn't stop their laughter when the mirror said "I honestly didn't do it Professor. It was the pink haired lady."

Harry decided to test the box, closed the lid, thought of three bottles of butterbeer and opened the box and indeed there beside another note were the requested bottles at just the temperature Harry loved it best.

Hope you liked the little surprise, and yes it can come up with most things you might want (very handy at Hogwarts). You can also store almost anything in it (sorry Snivellus won't fit): just open the box, place the object in it and close the lid. When you open the box again it will be gone and all you have to do to get it back out is to do as per the above.

To get out the letters for Remus just think "letters for Remus" when you do as above. If you want your letters from Remus it'll be "Remus' letters". If you want to return the letters to the box, just think of whoever wrote the letters and they will be returned to the right place.

Just a note of warning Harry : the box can sometimes pick up on thoughts that were not meant for it, so you might end up with nasty surprises. My father told me about my grandfather who was talking to someone about a griffin he'd encountered on his trips, and the next thing, the box standing next to him let out a huge roar.

Have fun with it Harry, that's the only advice I can give you and remember you will be the only one able to open it up.

With all my love

Sirius

Harry tried for the letters for Remus and came up with a decent sized pile of notes. Remus, knowing what to expect but unaware of the distinction looked a little crestfallen seeing the smallish pile of paper. Harry understood when, upon calling for Remus' letters the pile was huge. Harry realized that Remus must have kept writing him notes throughout the years, even when Harry wasn't at Hogwarts yet.

"Remus, these are for you. From Sirius. He wrote in his letter that he'd made you a compartment too." Harry explained, as he handed Remus the first pile of notes.

Harry noticed Professor Dumbledore looked interested and explained what the box did and what the four had come up with. "So that's why Sirius kept coming up with all these strange and sometimes rare ingredients and tools for his pranks. He just had to imagine it and the box would supply."

After agreeing to leave for Black Manor the next morning at nine, Remus and Harry crashed out at the quarters they would spend the night at.

Remus obviously wanted to talk a little more, so they sat in the sofa's in the common room and the older man asked "Harry, are you really OK with my guardianship over you ? I could understand if you'd rather not be associated with a known werewolf."

"Remus, don't talk such nonsense please. Even with a large margin on either side, out of every 28 days, there will be three bad days for you. That still leaves me with the other 25 days that you are a normal bloke. A nice guy, who knows about this magical world, that even after five years still manages to baffle me most of the time. You can tell me about my parents and Sirius and guide me when I'm lost. And you treat me as Harry, son of your friends James and Lilly and not as that Potter boy-who-lived. I couldn't think of a better man to have as my guardian."

"Harry, you say you dream about Sirius and you talk with him right ? Next time you see him, tell him thanks from me."

Hoping the gesture wouldn't be too over the top, Harry grabbed Remus' shoulder and said : "I just wish you could be there too. He looks so much better and every time I see him he looks healthier than the time before."

Remus sighed and said : "I'll go to my room now, I've a few letters I'd like to read. Sweet dreams Harry."

"Goodnight Remus and happy dreams to you too."

Harry too looked forward to reading his letters, but he just couldn't choose whose he'd start reading, and so tried to think of the first three letters from Sirius, Lilly, James and Remus as he opened his box. And it worked. Twelve parchments lay there for him to read. It was bittersweet to read the notes. All of them written within a week of his birth, the hormonal high of his mum, the gushing and uncertainty of a new young dad, the exuberance of his besotted godfather and the joyous calm of Remus. All four people reflecting on the same occasion : his birth. All four of them in their own way expressing the same thing : their love and devotion to this newborn baby.

Harry lay in bed thinking of his future as he fell asleep and soon enough found himself in the well-known Room of Mysteries where the Veil stood. Much to his surprise Remus was in the room too and as soon as he saw Harry he said "Harry, thank Merlin you're here, I called for Sirius but he doesn't respond. Will you call him ?"

So once again Harry stood in front of the Veil, called out to Sirius and there he was, looking as fit as a fiddle and with a healthy happy glow. Harry could hear Remus next to him gasp when Sirius appeared, and Sirius himself let out a joyous whoop when he saw both Harry and Remus standing there. "Moony, you made it ! It's so good to see you. And I'm sorry for dieing on you. Now that I'd found your friendship back it is so hard without you but our boy – eh sorry Harry – our young man here needs you more than ever. James, Lilly and I count on you to guide him for all of us." Sirius too had grabbed Remus' shoulder and while still maintaining their contact, Sirius asked "Harry tell me how did things go today ?

Harry chuckled as he said "Well yeah it was OK thanks for the blue hair …"

"Oh no" Sirius' plaintive reply came "it was supposed to be pink !"

"Yeah Sirius, and does Tonks know you've enchanted that mirror in that way ? Remus here was quite embarrassed when she had him in her view !

And off Harry went on a monologue that lasted a good ten minutes about all he'd found out today and the surprises that had awaited him at almost every turn. Sirius and Remus gasped or chuckled in all the right places and asked questions that left Harry elaborating even further on the day's adventures.

And after, for a long time it seemed, Remus and Sirius talked about all kinds of things, the two older men reminding the other of this prank or that stunt. Harry was happy just listening to them.

Soon enough however morning came and Harry woke up, refreshed after yet again a restful night. He had just finished getting ready when there came a knock on the door. "Come in" Harry called, looking forward to the day's happenings.

Remus stepped into the room with a question written all over his face. Had Harry experienced the same ?

So Harry asked it first "And Remus, did I exaggerate saying he's looking better than ever ?"

"Oh Harry, I don't know how you pulled that off, but I can never thank you enough. I needed that so much."

"Remus, you know I needed it just as much as you. It helped both of us. And I particularly wanted to tell you ahead of the other Sirius you'll meet at Black Manor. Maybe as you've known our Sirius so much better you'll be able to see the differences more but to me the resemblance is uncanny."

They heard a knocking sound coming from the common room and Remus called out to come in. Professor Dumbledore entered and said : "Do you mind if we eat here ? The Great Hall is so big for just the three of us. This will be much cosier."

So the three sat around a conjured table and one of the house elves served them a breakfast fit for kings. Well-watered and fed and eager to go, Harry asked them to give him a minute and then to use the "Harry's Haven" incantation that would bring them to the Black Manor Hall.


	7. Chapter 6

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

Author's Note : For my "baby-sister" (even if she is 9 years my senior) who celebrates her birthday today and to **jekl** who sent me my first review.

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**06 Home in all its glory**

And just like the day before Harry ended up in the dead center of the hall. Not ten seconds later Blythe stood next to him, beaming when he said "Good morning Blythe I'm happy to see you again."

"I is happy too, Harry, as I was fearing I just dreams you."

"No worries, Blythe I am real alright and I hope to be staying here for almost two months."

The next moment two cracks announced the arrival of his guests. Remus was the first to give his comment.

"Are you sure we are at the same place Harry ? This is not how Black Manor looked when I visited."

"That would be correct, as you would have seen the version the heir of the time was allowed to use. Our young Harry here is the only heir ever to end up with the entire estate as it was when last it held a Pure of Heart Black." said a well-known voice from the right.

Both Remus and Professor Dumbledore turned to the stranger and Harry was enjoying the stunned look on both their faces when they took a good look at the ghost. Contrary to the ghosts at Hogwarts somehow Mr Black came in full colour and looked a lot more human then his Hogwarts counterparts. Add the resemblance to Harry's recently deceased godfather and the surprise was all the greater.

"Mister Sirius Harold Black, please allow me to introduce you to my Honorary Guardian, Mister Remus Lupin and the current headmaster at Hogwarts, Professor Albus Dumbledore. Gentlemen, this is the ghost of Mister Sirius Harold Black, born in 1499 and passed away in 1695. He created the Black family inheritance charm and set up the wards around the different Black estates."

Again it was Professor Dumbledore who spoke first. "It is a true honour to meet you, sir. Harry was adamant yesterday that the wards around the Manor were extremely good and I must say I can but agree with that statement. I am hoping you will teach me how to achieve this perfection as I would like to give Hogwarts a similar protection in these dark days.

And Harry, I need no further information to agree fully with your holiday plans. I just hope you'll allow me to join you from time to time."

Harry happily agreed and turned to Remus "And Remus, will you spend the rest of the summer holidays here with us ?"

"As if you need to ask Harry."

"In that case, why doesn't Blythe show us two around and meanwhile Professor Dumbledore and Mr Black can get started exchanging information."

All were happy with this arrangement and so while Mr Black and Professor Dumbledore walked to the right and into the study, Remus, Harry and Blythe set off for the door next to the study. This would be the place for Remus and Hermione. Row after row after row of books were cramped in the light and airy room. In opposite corners reading areas were installed with comfortable sofas. Ideal spots for some light reading. The two other corners held a desk each, an ideal set up if you wanted to do some studying. Hermione would love it and Remus was already perusing the titles he saw nearby. One caught his eyes and he said : "Harry, some of these titles are very rare. Even Albus was never able to come by these."

"Well, I guess we'll see a lot of him then over the summer !" laughed Harry. "And we'll need to limit Hermione's time allowed in here, or she'll live here for the entire summer."

They walked back to the Hall, and continued their tour clockwise away from the study and entered a living room. The Gryffindor Common Room was about the same size. It contained several sofas, and in one corner a few tables were set up to play chess and other board games Harry didn't recognize. Despite its size, the room looked cozy but was light and airy and there were flowers everywhere. "Blythe, who looks after all these flowers ? They are gorgeous."

"I is, Harry, old master loved them, and so I does."

"So do I Blythe, so do I."

On they moved to the next room, which turned out to be yet again a living room, but it was set up far more formal. It felt cool in some way, not as homely as the living room next door or the one at The Burrow. The dining room next to it had a seating arrangement for some 40 people, but again a very formal set up reigned this room. The next room was a big surprise for Harry and Remus. When Blythe opened the door situated next to the staircase even the sunny hall looked dark and dim compared to the room they entered. Sunlight streamed in from three sides and Harry decided it would be his favourite place in the house. As far as Harry could make out, it would run the length of the building combining the formal dining room, hall and study. It held a huge kitchen to the left and clearly what was a family dining room in the middle, and to the right a room divider allowed glimpses of a garden room, and everywhere there were flowers and plants. Neville would love it here.

"Blythe, this place is brilliant. And all these plants and flowers. They are lovely but they must take a lot of work."

"Oh, Harry, sir, I is good elf, I do good job."

"Blythe, it is OK, I know you do a very good job but we will have many visitors staying for the rest of the summer holiday, and it would be too much work for just one house elf. Your job will be to take good care of the flowers in the house, and one of my friends, Neville might like to know how to care for them. So maybe you could show him if he asks."

"Well," Remus mentioned, "it didn't look anywhere this grand and bright when I came but I do recognize some things. There must be some strong magic around to pull that off."

"You is young mister Moony," Blythe remarked happily, "you was here before."

"Yes I was and close to being the best three weeks I ever lived they were too. We enjoyed ourselves very much. I look forward to spending the rest of the summer here."

Harry meanwhile was looking around more intently and through the floor-to-ceiling windows he could see outbuildings and nicely tended gardens, so he suggested having a quick look outside, before moving up a floor.

Blythe guided them through the garden room and they ended up in a huge tropical swimming paradise. The water in the large pool was crystal clear and Harry had to fight off the impulse to just jump in, clothes and all. And here too, lots of flowers bloomed and plants were looking decidedly healthy.

"Too bad I don't have swimming trunks. That pool looks very inviting," Remus sighed.

"Not a problem, mister Moony, dress cabins there, provide suitable clothes for every body whose go in." said Blythe as she pointed to the opposite side of the room, where several doors were visible through the plant foliage.

Left and right of him, there were floor-to-ceiling windows, showing more of the garden outside. Harry spotted well-known hoops to the right and asked : "Is that a quidditch pitch out there, Blythe ?"

"Yes, Harry, and all equipment and however many brooms in broom shed are there too.

Through the windows on the left he could see part of the gardens he'd spotted from the kitchen so he stepped in that direction to take a closer look. The garden looked big and beyond the well-tended lawns it looked like a forest was adjacent to the Black property. "Are those woods safe, Blythe ?"

The house elf only vaguely answered with a "For most of the time they is safe Harry".

Deciding to venture outside at another time, they returned to the hall and started up the wide staircase.

Remus reminisced and stated Sirius had loved the banister as it was perfect for sliding down it. Harry who had his hand on the beautiful wooden handrail got an image of a young Sirius gaily yelling at the ever-increasing speed as he was coming down, closely followed by both a young Remus and … James Potter. All three were yelling their joy.

"Admit it, Remus, you and my dad enjoyed it just as much !" laughed Harry.

"How did you … ?" stuttered Remus, and when seeing the wistful look on Harry's face continued "Well, yes actually. It was great fun at the time, we were here at the right age. By the summer holiday a few months later, we would have considered ourselves too big for such child's play."

Blythe had led them to a beautifully carved double door with a gold coloured plaque saying "Harry's room". She explained "This be the Master bedroom for master of the house."

The room was huge. Larger than the dormitory at Hogwarts, it housed a large four poster bed, a huge writing desk with a bookcase close by and a pair of sofa's by an impressive fire place. Red and gold, very much like the Gryffindor colours, were everywhere and Harry felt at home immediately. From the view out of the windows, this room was located above the kitchen, and looking out, he could see what looked like a huge maze to the left.

"Blythe, is that a maze out there ?"

"Yes, Neferti likes to trap visitors there, as long as they don't solve one of her riddles."

"Is Neferti the sphinx I met yesterday ?"

Blythe nodded and showed them the 14 other rooms on the two floors with colour schemes and fittings ranging from dark earthy tones to the light pastel.

The top floor turned out to be a huge surprise : all the rooms were bare. But Blythe explained they would become whatever was needed. As he opened the last door Harry was thinking about the Room of Requirements they'd used for DA practice and so he was mightily surprised to see an exact replica of it here. He closed the door again, thought of the opulent prefect bathroom he'd been to in his fourth year, opened the door again, and indeed there it was.

"This will be handy when we want to practice, Remus. And since you arrived first you have first choice for a room, well apart from mine that is. Maybe we could put up all the boys – eh sorry men – on the first floor and the girls and Mr and Mrs Weasley up on the second ?"

As they were about to descend the stairs, Harry looked at the banister. It looked very inviting indeed. Just this once, Harry thought and pushed himself off. It was like the banister took him on and at a slow pace the trip down began, ever increasing as he sped downwards. He too couldn't hold his shout of enjoyment as he ended up down in the hall.

"Come on Remus, just once more, for old times' sake. Admit you're itching to do it." And just as Harry thought Remus had decided against it, he too sat on the banister and hurdled down, landing by Harry with a joyous expression on his face. As he ruffled through Harry's still pink hair Remus said "Thank you Harry".

They returned to the kitchen and asked Blythe for a cup of tea. They'd hardly seated themselves when Mr Black and Professor Dumbledore joined them. Professor Dumbledore had a slightly dazed expression on his face. He shook his head and sighed "And here I was thinking I knew a lot …" After sipping his tea, Professor Dumbledore said :"Harry, I know you deserve a fun and carefree summer for once, but please spend some time learning from Mr Black here. His knowledge of the old magic will prove to be of great help !"

"I'd hoped to be studying most mornings Professor, either with Remus, the others or with Mr Black alone. We will have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves too. If it is OK with you Mr Black, I was thinking to spend some time with you now, so you can tell me how to open up Grimmauld Place for the Order, while Remus gives Professor Dumbledore a guided tour. And after lunch, we could go to Grimmauld Place, free it up and explore a bit and then travel on to Hogwarts to pick up my things and ask Dobby and Winky if they'll consider changing jobs. Tomorrow I would spend exploring a bit further and learning even more from Mr Black about the rest of the estate. And if by Thursday the rest could come out, we could spend the remainder of the week on play-time, and then start to incorporate the studying as of Monday."

His plans met with general approval and so Harry and Mr Black retreated to the study.


	8. Chapter 7

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**07 A Bit of Black History**

Mr Black first started by giving Harry a bit of background on the Black family history before explaining about the wards around the Black properties.

"It all started a long time ago when a man who had come into some money decided to build himself a castle as was the habit at the time. It offered protection for himself and his family and they lived there for a long time. As with so many old wizarding families, and indeed a lot of the old royal muggle families today, the entire estate and all the money was always handed down to the eldest male in the family, with the understanding that he be responsible to provide his siblings and other family with allowances.

Black castle is situated way up north and by the time I inherited the estate upon the death of my father I was just 18 and living in the castle with my mother and two younger sisters and a young aunt with her two little children. When the time came for me to get married my wife asked for another residence as she herself was from the south of the country. We found this plot of land and built ourselves a new home. My wife and I moved in and by the time our children started to talk about marriage living in the country was out of fashion so we bought a plot of land in London and built them a house now known to you as 12 Grimmauld Place. We also bought an island in the Pacific and built us a replica of this house as my wife started getting aches and pains and the doctor recommended warmer climates. So in the course of just one generation the family was living all over the country and Grimmauld Place became sort of the centre for all family gatherings.

By the time my 190th birthday came around several generations of my descendants had passed away already and the next heir unfortunately had been raised by his maternal family as his father had fought in the Goblin War and been killed when the boy was very young. As this family had strong Dark connections I decided to protect the estate with the inheritance charm.

After managing the estate for just over 170 years not many people even in the Black family were aware of the true size of the estate. So my scheme worked wonderfully well.

Succession would follow the time-honoured tradition but only a true heir, an honour bestowed to only one worthy of the entire estate, would regain total control. The others would inherit the best-known residence, Grimmauld Place, together with some funds and a few items in the family vault. And they might, to some extent, be given access to the other residences if they were Light at heart. All of them got the result of their 'test' as you have so that no one else was able to read it. It gave each one the option of inviting whom they deemed worthy. In most recent years for instance Sirius' dad never told his wife about this residence and it was where he met with his favourite sister Andromeda and her daughter Nymphadora.

The secret behind this Inheritance Charm is actually the Black family book. It is a self updating book recording the Black family history and family tree and is linked to the tapestry in Grimmauld Place."

Harry had been listening very attentively and some of it was indeed very familiar. History lessons from muggle time schooling had mentioned the succession rights for royals and the rich in bygone days. And he knew about the Island as Sirius had stayed there for some time between his own third and fourth year at Hogwarts.

Mr Black continued explaining about the Book.

"It started out as a simple charmed book recording the happenings within a particular family but for the inheritance charm to work I added a few extras. Among the extras was basically a mind to think for itself."

Harry gasped at this. It sounded familiarly close to Riddle's diary and Mr Weasley's warning to never trust something that has no visible place to store its 'brains' rang loud. When he told the story of Riddle's diary and voiced his concerns Mr Black replied with a smile on his face.

"Your Mr Weasley is indeed correct to warn you but you need not fear this book Harry. You can see where it stores its knowledge albeit in a bit of an unusual place."

Harry's mind went into overdrive and suddenly, as if a missing piece had been provided it all fitted. "You are where it stores its brain, that's why you are so lifelike. That's why the result of my inheritance test was written as if you wrote it because that's actually what happened."

"Indeed Harry. From what you told me Riddle used the diary to feed of its user with an end result of a live 'diary' and dead user. The Black book does something similar but rather than feeding off the current heir it copies his magical strengths and beliefs. That's why the estate is so different from heir to heir.

All the previous heirs had no control whatsoever over the book and thus could not alter the protective charms on the residences. It is why Grimmauld Place did not close down when Sirius inherited. Now however you are in complete control and will be able to alter any set up to the estate, residences and monies. That is why your headmaster and guardian could not enter Grimmauld Place even though Professor Dumbledore is its secret keeper.

I would suggest, Harry, that you take your time in reading the Black book to familiarise yourself with its general workings, and after that I'll help you with your first entries.

From anywhere within the Black residences you can call for the Black Book and it will come to you."

"Just ask for it, sir ?"

"Yes, Harry. It works very much like the Black Box. If unattended it returns to its proper place and it comes when called. The only difference between the two is that others can see and touch the box but not open it, no one but you can even see the book. "

As to Grimmauld Place you have two choices really. You could set the property free so to speak. It will no longer be considered a Black residence and leave the place completely unprotected. Albus could resume being its secret keeper and set up his own set of protective charms.

Alternatively you could create an incantation specifically for Grimmauld Place and give someone else the temporary custody. This warden would be able to grant others the right of entry. But all the usual Black protection would still be in place making it a very safe place. Then when the need to have an Order HQ is no longer required, the custody would be revoked and the house would return to a full Black residence. I think this would be the safest option. It will still repel any unwanted beings to a very high level but at the same time it will be flexible enough for the needs of the Order.

To correctly implement your choice of these two options will take a little time as you'll need to familiarise yourself with the workings of the Book. But fortunately there is a quick solution that can be activated now and when the time comes can easily be incorporated in whatever option you choose.

Do you have any questions so far Harry ?" asked Mr Black.

"I have several, sir, but most can wait. The one question I would like to ask though concerns the house elf at Grimmauld Place. What can be done to him for betraying his master ?"

"Harry, can you elaborate on what happened ?"

So Harry told the story of how Kreacher had tricked him into believing Sirius was indeed at the Ministry, while in reality Kreacher had hurt Buckbeak to make sure Sirius was not in the neighbourhood when Harry was to call and how Kreacher had somehow been able to give some secrets away to Sirius' cousins Bellatrix and Narcissa.

"Well Harry, the first thing you do when you arrive at Grimmauld Place is say "I, Harry James Potter, true heir of Sirius Black, last of the Black, want house elf justice." No matter where Kreacher is, he'll be punished the house elf way. And from what I hear, he'll no longer be able to cause damage to anyone."

The next half hour Mr Black told him how to set Grimmauld Place temporarily free and set it up for whatever choice Harry made for it later. It was now well past midday so Harry and Mr Black went to the kitchen, thinking they'd find the other two men there. But only Blythe was about.

"Something smells very good, Blythe. Will it be much longer before it's ready ?"

"It be ready to serve now Harry"

"Wonderful, I'll just go to the library then. I'm certain the two will be popping their eyes out over some or other book." chuckled Harry, and indeed when he entered the library, Professor Dumbledore was sitting in one easy corner and Remus in the other, both with their heads buried in a large tome. "Gentlemen, lunch is served, and it smells divine." Both men looked up, smiled and reluctantly put the books away. "Not to worry, you have all summer to go through the books. Unfortunately you cannot take them away, but when I'm here you're always welcome to browse to you heart's content." Both men chuckled at that. How well Harry knew them.

After a meal of French fries, a rich dark beef stew and salad on the side with a light fruit-and-cream dessert, the trio said goodbye and left for Grimmauld Place. As per Mr Black's instructions he said in a loud clear voice "I, Harry James Potter, true heir of Sirius Black, last of the Black, want house elf justice."

Mrs Black's portrait in the hallway let out a blood curdling scream and Harry walked that way, thinking to shut the curtains. But when he arrived at the portrait, it was no longer up on the wall, but lay smashed on the ground.

"Well that explains things," Professor Dumbledore said. "It was held up with elven magic."

Harry returned to the Tapestry room and said. "I, Harry James Potter, true heir of the Black, give temporary custody of 12 Grimmauld Place, Black residence in London, England to Professor Albus Dumbledore, Head of the Order of the Phoenix for use as Order Headquarter. It shall be known to them as "Lilly's Haven" and said incantation is the only one to be recognized."

Harry turned to Professor Dumbledore and said to him : "Professor, you'll need to say the names of all order members out loud while in this room and then tell them that there's a password before they can enter. The only way in is for the members to say "Lilly's Haven" and it'll be just like apparition. Even if somebody overheard and tried to follow them they won't get in. For non-magic people, like Mrs Figg, she just has to say it at the front door and it'll open for her. People under polyjuice or invisibility cloaks won't be able to pass over the threshold. Could you maybe test it out with Mrs Weasley. Just to be sure, professor ?"

So Professor Dumbledore was heard to say "Molly Weasley" just before he apparated away. A few minutes later both Mrs Weasley and Professor Dumbledore were standing in the Tapestry room. "It works Albus, so that's good. Now can you tell me when Harry can come to the Burrow ? He really shouldn't be left with those muggle relatives you know."

"Hello Mrs Weasley, don't worry, I left the Dursley's already. And actually, I planned to send you a letter later today, so I'll do it in person now. Sirius left me a nice house in the countryside with lots of wards and safety procedures around. So I wanted to invite Ron, Ginny and the twins, as well as Hermione, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood over as of this Thursday for the remainder of the summer holidays. Remus will be there too to keep an eye out on things. But I was hoping both you and Mr Weasley would see a way to come out too. Mr Weasley could apparate to work from there no problem, could he not ? You could check with Professor Dumbledore but he will agree that it is very safe there. And Bill, Charlie and Percy are most welcome too. And it will be a bit of a holiday for you, Mrs Weasley as the house comes with a house elf. Unlike Kreacher, Blythe is a very nice and lovely elf." Harry looked pleadingly at Mrs Weasley, knowing full well, she'd have a hard time to say no to him. And Mrs Weasley smiled back at Harry and then turned her attention to Professor Dumbledore and asked him if he was sure about the safety. When he'd said it was better protected than Hogwarts, she said "Very well Harry, we will all come. What do we do to get there ?"

"If you come at 10 am, just keep your hand on your trunk and all just say "Harry's Haven" and you'll arrive in the hall of the house. When Mr Weasley is done for the day, all he needs to do is go to any apparition point and say the same and he'll arrive at the same place. I'm looking forward to this summer, Mrs Weasley, even more so now you'll all be there."

"Oh Harry, don't be surprised by their reactions, I will only tell we're moving out for the summer. That will be a nice surprise for them too. Well I'll better go home before the twins destroy the place. See you all Thursday then." And with a small pop, Mrs Weasley was gone.

Harry, Remus and Professor Dumbledore had a good look round the house now that they were back at Grimmauld Place and Harry was feeling sad that the house hadn't been like this when Sirius had had to stay here last year. Surely his 'confinement' would have been easier to bear ? Indeed all the order members would be mighty surprised the first time they would enter as it looked nothing like before. The ugly umbrella-stand and house elf heads in the hall were gone along with the portrait of Mrs Black. The walls were painted a soft yellow and rather than the threadbare carpet a pale wooden floor was gleaming as if recently polished. All the rooms were no longer recognizable when compared with their state last Christmas. The place now looked anything but gloomy and would make a lovely family home one day.

"What will you do once school starts up, Remus ? Will you be our DADA teacher again ?" asked Harry hopeful while they were inspecting the rooms.

"No Harry, I'll stay here and work for the order, but I'll meet you on your Hogsmead's weekends to warn you against sweets and butterbeer. And I'll come and see the Gryffindor Quidditch games too. And since you now have a home to go to, we could maybe spend Christmas together too."

"That would be lovely, Remus, but I doubt you'll be able to persuade me about the sweets and butterbeer, you know."

When they were back in the tapestry room the three apparated to Hogwarts, and it wasn't until he stood once again in the Headmaster's office, that Harry realized, he had apparated without the aid of an incantation.

"Professor, I app… How did I… ?" Harry stuttered.

"It's simple really, Harry, you didn't think. You believed. You'd done it before so why not now. As muggle raised you have no preconceived ideas of what can and cannot be done with magic. People like Ron and his family have grown up with the notion that apparating is difficult and needs lots of learning when in reality it is not. Just test it. I'll see to it to have your school lists sent out a bit earlier so you can come to Diagon Alley to shop when it's less crowded. Tell your friends they need to say some silly incantation with Diagon Alley in it, and they'll believe it's a real one and they'll apparate. Well maybe not make it too silly or Hermione will catch on, but you'll see it works."

"But we're underage, won't we be in trouble ?"

"Don't worry Harry, I've pulled a few strings and you've all been unobtrusively placed on the "allowed" list. For the handful of times you'll actually apparate this summer it will be all right. Just don't start popping back and forth is all I ask. Now shall I call for Dobby ?" Harry nodded but he'd hardly started when the eager house elf had already appeared.

"You asked for Dobby, Sir Professor Sir ?"

"Yes indeed, Dobby. I have a visitor for you." At this Dobby's eyes opened wide and almost popped when he saw Harry.

"Harry Potter sir, such honour Harry Potter sir to come visit Dobby."

"Dobby, I wanted to ask you something. Is Winky doing OK or would she still prefer to work for a family do you think."

"Winky feel bit better but still likes better to work for family."

"That's good news Dobby. Now would you consider working for my family and me, with pay of course ? To begin with it would just be at the house during the school holidays, and Professor Dumbledore says you can come here during school terms. I now have my own house and it already has a house elf, but she's old and deserves some rest. I would ask Winky to come too to help during the holidays. And when we are at school she could look after Remus. "

"Such honour sir. I accept Harry Potter sir."

"Brilliant Dobby, just one thing, please just call me Harry. And Professor, will you call for Winky now ?"

Winky too appeared quickly and said "You asked for Winky, Sir ?"

"Yes Winky, there is someone here to see you."

"Hello Winky, would you like to work for my family and me ? There will be my friends and me for the summer holidays, and during school term, there will be Remus. There is another elf, but she's old and deserves some rest, so both you and Dobby would be there for the holidays, and during the school term, Dobby comes here."

Big tears were rolling from her eyes by now but she was smiling too, and she nodded her reply.

"Very well, Dobby and Winky. Why don't you come tomorrow at 10 am so you can say goodbye to the other house elves tonight. When you are ready you just need to say "Harry's Haven" and when you arrive, we'll show you around."

Professor Dumbledore then asked Phineas to try his portrait in Grimmauld Place out and added to think Lilly's Haven when he did. He returned feeling very happy to be able to return there. Remus and Harry then made it back to the rooms they stayed at overnight to pick up their luggage and from there returned to Black Manor. Professor Dumbledore was going to key in all the order members at Grimmauld Place and tell them about the new instructions. Harry was going to write out his invitations before going on a quick tour outside and hopefully talking some more with Mr Black. There was much Harry still had to learn about his new home.

Upon their return at Black Manor Harry told Blythe about the arrangements he'd made with the two new house elves who would arrive the next day. Blythe had tears in her eyes. Harry was aghast when she told him she'd been expecting to be beheaded soon. Harry was quick in putting her mind at ease : "But Blythe you are my family now and I would never do that. Just look after the flowers and plants and maybe teach Dobby and Winky about them too, so we can have some at Grimmauld Place. But if you feel a bit tired, just sit down and do nothing. Or just look at the flowers and enjoy them. Now I didn't ask yet where your room is and would there be rooms for Dobby and Winky too ?"

"Rooms, you giving Blythe a rooms ?" The house elf stood on shaking legs. "I sleeps in comfy corner in basement, but a rooms. I never had a rooms."

"We'll see about that Blythe. If I get a room, so do you. Please show me the way to the basement" And Blythe led him to a door in the kitchen. Harry started getting ideas it would maybe be like the classrooms in the dungeons of Hogwarts, but in fact it looked remarkably like the kitchen room above. Only the temperature was much cooler, as was best in a cellar. To his right, he saw three small doors, the right height for house elves, and he asked Blythe what they were.

To his astonishment, she answered "I know not, they is new Harry", wonder and anticipation clear in her voice. So Harry, slowly catching on this was a magical house after all, said "Well Blythe, pick any door, think what you would love for your room and open it. That will be your room."

And Blythe opened the door to find a four-poster bed, house elf size, with mosquito net like hangings and the walls covered with all kinds of painted flowers. The one window had a view of the forest and the floor was covered in grass and just like in the kitchen above, it was really warm in the room.

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

Have a nice weekend all.

kadedeetje


	9. Chapter 8

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**08 Invitations **

Harry went up to his bedroom cum study and sat down at his desk, briefly considered the correct wordings and then started to write his first invitation addressed to Mrs Longbottom.

Dear Mrs Longbottom

First of all I would like to apologize to you for endangering Neville's life two weeks ago at the Ministry of Magic. With no opportunity to get advice or support from the Hogwarts teachers, I acted instinctively upon the - as I now know mistaken - assumption my godfather was in danger. After a similar experience in December my directions turned out to be correct and as a result a seriously injured Mr Weasley was found in time and was able to recover.

I greatly appreciate Neville's support and faith in me, which is why I'm writing now. My godfather passed away during that fight two weeks ago and he left me a nice house in the countryside. As Professor Dumbledore will be able to confirm it is heavily warded and well protected.

As I will be spending the rest of the holidays there, I wanted to invite Neville, as well as Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, Ginny, Ron, Fred and George Weasley for a restful and carefree summer.

Adult supervision will be provided by my guardian Mr Remus Lupin and as they have already accepted my invitation, so will Mr and Mrs Weasley, although Mr Weasley will be at work during the day. Furthermore Professor Dumbledore has found a few worthwile books in the library. Unable to take them with him – the wards are that protective – he too will be a regular visitor to the house. The nights of the full moon Mr Lupin will not be present as per his own request.

The resident house elves have kept up the tradition of growing wonderful plants and flowers one of the previous masters of the house was so fond of. Even Professor Dumbledore was greatly excited about some of the species and I am convinced Neville with his extensive knowledge and interest in herbology will love the chance to see and experience these for himself.

Although I would love to have Neville join us as soon as possible, and the Weasleys arrive this Thursday, the invitation stands for the entire summer. Should you prefer Neville to join us at a later time just advise Professor Dumbledore of the timetable so arrangements can be made.

The only way into the property is by magical password, working only for those on the limited invitation list. From any location or apparition point say "Harry's Haven" and you will be transported straight into our hall.

I am hoping you will allow Neville to come. And if you would accompany him this Thursday morning at 9:15 I will give you both a guided tour so you will see for yourself if the arrangements are to your liking.

Looking forward to meeting you.

Harry Potter

Harry took the finished letter to Remus and asked his opinion. Especially with mentioning the full moon arrangements Harry wanted to be sure Remus understood why they were there in the first place. And as expected, Remus did make a mention of them. Harry replied "Since Professor Snape made your lycanthropy public knowledge, I wanted to make it clear to the different parents that I know about it, and I have faith in you, and it is you who wants the extra safety precautions. It should show the parents my trust in you and your concern for their children."

Now with Remus' consent, Harry wrote slightly altered versions for Hermione's parents and Luna's father, and he wrote a short note to Ron. He decided that Mrs Longbottom might have the most reservations as she would be best aware of the Black family reputation, so Harry decided to ask Lilly to deliver her letter. Delivered by phoenix, a bird widely known to support the Light side she might be just a bit more confident. The other letters were given to Hedwig. "Hedwig, please deliver the one for the Grangers first, then for Luna's dad, and then you can take a rest at the Weasleys. Safe trip Hedwig."

With the invitations now underway Harry went in search of Remus again and found him at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, staring at the outside gardens. "Remus, after I grab a cup of tea too, shall we take a look outside. I could do with a bit of fresh air and maybe you could meet Neferti ?"

"Harry, yes, a walk outside would be nice but are you sure about that sphinx ? They aren't the friendliest of creatures you know."

"Actually Remus I didn't, but the two I've met were nice, and Neferti has a good sense of humour. And what can happen to me anyway, she told me herself I'm her new master."

So Harry and Remus ventured outside, taking in the beautiful tended gardens with flowers and small bushes everywhere, turning a little wilder as they got closer to the edges of the forest surrounding them. While outside anyway Harry couldn't help but take a peek, at the quidditch pits and the broom closet. Blythe mentioned brooms for anybody, but when they took a closer look, they only found the two. And Harry had never seen them before. Although his looked sleek and fast, a bit like his Firebolt, Remus as an average flier, ended up with a model totally unlike any broom they'd ever seen. Harry mounted his broom and took a little tour of the pitch. From what he could sense the broom was a lot like his Firebolt in features too. Remus decided to take a chance and mounted the broom. After flying round the pitch once he remarked how wonderfully suited the broom felt. Never very confident as James had been on any broom Remus didn't like the feel of loss of control when flying and with this broom he felt in control. Harry wanting to test the abilities of his broom better so accelerated, shot up and did a tour of the pitch high up in the air, to descend at a very high speed. He shouted out with glee as the wind whipped through his hair. It'd been such a long time since he'd been in the air … It felt wonderful. Climbing up again higher than before he looked out over the forest but all he saw were tree tops and … nothing else. While descending at a leisurely pace he was thinking about the brooms again and by the time he was standing next to Remus he felt he could smack himself over the head over his stupidity. So he explained his theory to Remus and the man had to agree, especially after he was told about the rooms for the house elves. The house was magical, so why not the broom shed. And just as they were promised bathing clothes for every one, meaning they came in adjustable sizes, so would the brooms, depending on the capability of the flyer. They replaced the brooms in the shed and headed out to the maze. Not really wanting to go the whole way, Harry stepped inside a few paces and called for Neferti.

She came from within the maze with a smile on her face. "Yes master, what can I do for you ? Would you like another riddle to solve ?"

"Neferti, hello again. Not this evening thanks. I hope you don't mind me calling you but I wanted to introduce you to my guardian and friend Mr Remus Lupin. If you ever come across him in the maze don't make your riddles to easy for him. He's good."

"Remus, please meet Neferti, our resident sphinx and riddle maker extraordinaire. And she has a good sense of humor too !"

The two smiled at each other and Harry continued :"Neferti, I promised to tell you when Hermione arrived. If all goes well she'll be arriving Thursday morning at nine. Will you do the honours ? I'll be standing just out of sight should she be too jittery. It is most likely she'll have no idea where she's arriving, so maybe best work my name in there somewhere OK ? There will be more guests arriving a bit later that day, but it would be too confusing, so you'll meet the others at some stage in the maze. Just be gentle with them the first time."

"Ooh good," replied Neferti while smiling, "I'll look forward to it then. Good evening master."

Harry cringed at the title and said : "Neferti, please just call me Harry. I hate the word master."

"I will and thank you Harry.

The two men returned to the house and shortly after ate a light supper. They discussed plans for the next day. Harry would welcome Dobby and Winky to their new home and show them around and tell them about the plans for summer and how best to plan the workload. And after he would spend as much time as he could with Mr Black to learn about the estate and ancient magic. Remus planned a day in the library but needed to go out for some shopping. Harry added a few items to the shopping list if Remus was able to advance the expenses for him. Until they actually had to go school shopping, Harry didn't want to leave the Black estate and so a visit to Gringotts had to wait too. Remus said the few clothes and two boxes of phoenix treats and one with owl treats Harry ordered definitely wouldn't break the bank.

After supper Harry wanted to retreat to his bedroom and read a few more letters from his parents and their friends, Remus was going to indulge himself in the library.

Harry and Remus had said goodnight in the hall, the latter just stepping inside the library when Mr Black beckoned him from the study doorway.

"Harry, I've been meaning to ask, what is with your hair ? Pink doesn't really suit you."

"It is the result of the last prank of my godfather. Sirius wrote about the Black box in his will and how all I had to do was to call for it. So after my first visit here I remembered about it and asked for it. The moment I spoke the words I did indeed get the box, but also pink hair and a mirror charmed to speak like his favourite cousin, Tonks. I'm hoping it'll stick until Thursday, so the others can see it too. You should have seen Sirius' face when I told him what the mirror did when it got a look at Remus and Professor Dumbledore."

"What do you mean, you told him about the mirror ?"

So Harry once again explained how, since he returned to Privet Drive he'd been able to call for Sirius and how he appeared from behind the veil and they could speak to each other and he'd started getting his anti-dementor feeling and how somehow Remus felt it and experienced the dreams too. Harry went on to explain how he figured it was Sirius' promise in the letter to haunt and help his godson that did the trick.

"In a way it is Harry," explained Mr Black, "in a way it is. But by combining his love for you and the love of your parents for you, more specifically the sacrifice your mother made, it most likely produced the Amor spell. You won't find it referenced often as not much is known, for it is very rare to have the kind of love and right circumstances needed to activate it. Obviously it worked for you. It is very interesting that you can spread it too. You say Remus was able to feel it too."

"Oh yes, it was just after the meeting in the Ministry was finished. I returned to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts and Remus was sitting there, all depressed. So I deliberately said something I knew would bring the feeling about, and Remus heard them laughing and felt the warmth too. Before I'd only heard my parents though, and that was when Sirius joined too."

"Well, Harry, as a scholar myself, I would ask you to note these things down, make it into a sort of diary mentioning anything that happens related to the feelings and sounds. It will provide excellent material to study the charm. I realize that a lot of this will be personal, maybe too much so for you to willingly show anyone, but in a few generations, it might prove to be invaluable to someone going through the same.

And out of curiosity Harry, did you see the Black tapestry ?"

"Yes, sir, before and after. Last year I spent part of the summer holiday at Grimmauld Place and it looked decidedly tatty then. Half eaten and dirty. But when I returned there after the charm was performed it looked spectacular with loads of colours. It looked stunning."

"And did you see your name and your godfather's ? And the line that connects them ?"

"I did, it was the only one in a broad silver line, some two inches. The others were all shades of red from very light to nearly black and all very fine. A few of the lines were a bit broader, but nowhere near as much as ours. The one between Tonks and her mum was broad too, at maybe half an inch and a very bright red."

Well, Harry, these lines indicate the blood connection and regard the two have for each other. The broadness is an indication of love. Sirius must have loved you very much for the line to be that broad. The one between Tonks and her mum would be more the norm. The bright red there means that Tonks and her mum are blood related and they hold each other in high regards. The blacker the line the less respect the two feel for each other. The colour of the line between you and Sirius indicate that there was a high respect and regard between you two, but no blood relation. It is probably the reason why the Amor spell has come about. It has left me with lots to ponder.

"Oh and Harry don't be surprised if you have visitors in the next few days. There are many beings on the estate. The forest surrounding the tended gardens continues on off the estate and the two combined provides an area large enough for them all to live and provide for themselves. They'll all be wanting to meet you. Neferti has already highly praised you and as word gets round that Lilly has shown up again I'm convinced they'll want to see and meet you for themselves. For their way of life would be greatly improved if you allow them to be here. They have had to live in secret and could be killed at any time. And Harry, don't worry, the wards of the estate stretch the entire estate. The charms for beings and animals are set so that they too are scanned. No being with the express intent to hurt anyone on the estate can get in."

"Just out of curiosity, Mr Black. How big is the estate if it can support several beings ?"

"Well Harry, there are more than a few beings, as the estate is some 25 000 acres. That is about a tenth of the surrounding forest."

"No wonder all I could see were trees when up in the air", thought a confounded Harry. "Sir, he continued, do you have any more of these surprises for me ? Because I believe I might as well have them all in one go."

"You know about the four main Black residences. You have visited two-and-a-half seeing as the Island Manor is identical to this one." Mr Black said smiling. "But actually there are quite a few more. Most houses are rented out through the goblins and are situated all over England. But Gringotts is the main building that is Black estate. We do good business together. They don't pay rent, but we don't pay any fees. The funds I left in their care should have done well by now too." And with a "I'll leave you for now Harry. I'm going to read up on everything I can find about the Amor spell so I can hopefully tell you more tomorrow. Goodnight." Mr Black left Harry in the study as he glided through the wall into the library.

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

Have a nice weekend all.

kadedeetje


	10. Chapter 9

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**09 Meeting the locals**

Harry made his way to his room and vaguely noticed his belongings had all been unpacked. Sitting at his desk Harry realized he'd have to take a little more interest in his new role as head of such an old family estate and decided to ask the goblins at Gringotts for assistance. After all Sirius, Remus and even Professor Dumbledore had already indicated not knowing much about the estate.

To the attention of

The Esteemed Head Goblin

of Gringotts Bank, Diagon Alley, London

With the death of my godfather Mr Sirius Black last month I now find myself heir to the Black family estate.

After perusal of the few available documents and advice from my guardian Mr Remus Lupin and Hogwarts Headmaster Professor Dumbledore I still lack any information whatsoever on the size and nature of the estate and its current financial obligations.

I would therefore highly appreciate your assistance to provide me with a detailed report on the current status as I was informed Gringotts has been of considerable help in managing the estate in the past.

Please advise the bearer of this message of your approval for her return at five o'clock Friday afternoon to pick up this report.

Some time in the next few weeks I will be visiting Diagon Alley for the necessary shopping. I would like to visit you on that occasion to discuss new instructions and possible future plans and projects and to visit the Black vaults. Would a two day advance notice suffice to accommodate my visit in your busy schedule ?

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

With highest regards

Harry Potter

While re-reading the letter an idea struck Harry and he was a bit ashamed for not thinking of this sooner. Would there be anything of the Potter family left in the vaults of Gringotts beside the galleons ? Could there maybe be a treasure trove of family heirlooms of long forgotten Potters awaiting his arrival to bring them out of storage ?

He would ask Remus and Professor Dumbledore tomorrow. For now, he would have a first look at the Black Book before going to bed.

So Harry called the Black Book and indeed it landed on the desk in front of him. He wasn't sure what he'd expected but the book was a bit of a disappointment. Covered in black leather and embossed with the Black family crest and motto it could just as well have been a muggle photo album. And considering how thin it was it would not go back quite that far in time.

Harry was interested to find out exactly when the Black Book had been established and turned to the very first page. Much to his surprise reading the text was no problem even though the date mentioned was May 947.

So Harry started reading hoping it would be more interesting than a history lesson at Hogwarts. He needn't have worried. The first entry was quite a surprise.

The Black Book existed because of a Potter ! Orion Black had a friend Gawain Potter who gave him a Family Book upon his marriage. The book registered all kinds of happenings in the family like births, deaths, successes and failures and allowed some control over family residences.

With a warm glow of finding something of his family's achievements Harry continued reading the ups and downs of the first recorded Black family generations and it wasn't until the death of Orion's great-grandson Gawain was noted that Harry flipped the book forward to more recent entries and read what was mentioned about Sirius.

The next morning after yet another dream-night of listening to Sirius and Remus talk of long gone days and his own tales of the Weasley twins Harry was wide awake just as the sun was about to get up, so he hurried up to the top floor to watch the sunrise. He sat there for a while, the house providing him with a warm comfy chair on a terrace to watch the surrounding area. It was shortly after sunrise he saw two men arrive with garden tools. "Must be the gardeners. "I'll go have a talk with them." Harry thought, "maybe they can tell me more about the beings out in the woods."

Harry hurried downstairs and got outside through the kitchen windows. "Hello, wonderful morning, isn't it ?" he said as he approached the two men now at work between the rosebushes.

From their looks the two were obviously brothers, and not very happy at being discovered so Harry introduced himself, and extended his hand towards the nearest of the men.

"I'm a werewolf," this one immediately claimed, "we both are."

Although surprised at the bold statement, Harry's hand didn't waver as he stated "And with the greenest fingers by the looks of the gardens."

The man looked stunned at the lack of the animosity he obviously expected, and slowly raised his hand. "I'm Joe Waverly and that's my brother David. You don't mind ?"

"Well," Harry said "I wouldn't want to come across you during the full moon nights, but otherwise no, I don't mind."

"We're not dangerous even at full moon." Spoke David.

"Ooh," said Harry "you have the wolfsbane potion too then."

Joe looked impressed when Harry mentioned the potion but shook his head. "The wolfsbane potion works OK but long term the effects are devastating to the human and strengthening for the werewolf. We use a home brewed potion with ehm leaves from one of your hothouse plants. When Neferti told us you had the coca plant in there, we started working in the garden and Blythe pays us with leaves."

"You mean you do all this work and all you get out of it is a few leaves ?" fumed Harry "That has to change. From now on I'll give you a decent pay for the work on top of the leaves you need. But would you brew a third portion of the potion for a friend of mine ?"

"There's four of us at home but an extra portion of the potion is the least we can do if you truly want to pay us for the job." Said a clearly relieved Joe.

"Four brothers ? And do all four of you work in the garden ?" asked Harry.

So Joe explained how he, two brothers and a neighbourhood friend had been bitten as youngsters while out camping in the back garden. With several other siblings around, their parents had abandoned them and since they'd had to survive alone. Fortunately they were taken in by a fellow werewolf an academic who'd been bitten late in life. Now unable to go to Hogwarts, the four friends had learned all they knew from the old Prof, as they called him. He'd passed away a while ago so now there were only the four of them : Joe, David, their brother Luke and their friend Elijah Teague. Joe and David worked as gardeners for a few muggle families to provide a bit of an income. Elijah was a potions master who taught a few pupils and took care of their potion supply and Luke was an inventor but mainly occupied his time doing the household chores.

Upon hearing about the potions master Harry's brain went into overdrive. He'd heard about people being home schooled and they then took the OWL and NEWT exams independently. If he and this Mr Teague could work together maybe Harry could finally stop taking classes with Snape.

Before voicing anything of his idea however, he invited the four men to afternoon tea and planned on having Remus and if possible Professor Dumbledore present to make their acquaintance. While he stood talking to Joe and David Lilly had made an appearance and now sat on Harry's shoulder.

Harry took the opportunity to ask the men about the others in the forest. The men smiled and said "Harry, you could meet some of them right now. They've been standing just inside the woods for the last ten minutes. When Lilly showed up they realized you probably would do them no harm."

Harry saw David make a beckoning arm gesture and from the woods came a group of unicorns, the four tallest of them a brilliant white, clearly the parents of the smaller gray and brown foals. Harry smiled as he saw them coming. Ginny would love them. The smallest of the foals was bravest and came up close to Harry. "I hope you consider the Black forest as your home. No one from the house will harm you as long as I'm master." Harry said "And should you need help, please don't hesitate to call on us at any time. I consider you as part of my family."

The four adults gave nods as if they had understood and the group returned to the forest. The littlest stopped just at the forest and took a look back before it too entered the woods. To the right of them a group of thestrals came from the undergrowth. The black horses were shy and stayed close to the woods but Harry nodded to them and expressed that they too were welcome in the Black forest.

"We are happy to have read the stars correctly. The Dog star is brighter than ever. Black is Light again and the warmth will be spreading with the hope."

Harry turned to the left and saw four centaurs standing there. "I hope you will be the voice of both the stars and the inhabitants of the forest should they need assistance. Blythe, Winky or Dobby will be able to warn me should there be any trouble for any or all of you."

The four too returned to the woods and Harry turned to look at Joe and David. Both of them looked at him in awe and Harry was a bit embarrassed at the look they gave him. "I'll let you get on with it and I look forward to seeing you and your brother and friend later this afternoon."

By the time Harry returned to the kitchen Blythe was there preparing a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, crispy bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes and freshly squeezed orange juice and a pot of tea just like Harry loved it most.

Harry was halfway through his breakfast when Remus appeared. "Well you're up early Harry, any problems ?"

"Not at all, I just woke up early, watched the sunrise and decided to take a stroll in the garden to meet the gardeners, the unicorns, thestrals and the centaurs." Said Harry with a smile.

Remus nearly choked on the tea he was drinking. "Come again !"

So Harry told him about his early morning encounters, the invitation he extended and what he'd learned about the Wolfsbane potion.

Remus nodded at this. "I noticed a slight change but was told that it was perfectly normal. I do wonder who their teacher was."

And with that thought Blythe offered him an equal size plate of breakfast. For a while silence reigned as both Harry and Remus enjoyed their meal. Harry, having polished off his breakfast, sat at the table contemplating his upcoming day when the idea of Black Island popped in his head. There would be no time like now to visit, so Harry said the Pureness incantation while thinking of the colourful birds and Black Island and suddenly found himself standing in the hall. "This didn't work as planned." thought Harry when he became aware there was somebody else with him. When he turned around he found Remus standing, mouth open, fork in hand, a piece of bacon dangling precariously from the prongs.

"I'm sorry Remus, I wanted to go to Black Island but forgot you would come too."

Remus quickly gathered his wits, popped the bacon in his mouth and followed Harry to the kitchen fully expecting to find his food on the table where he'd just left it. To his surprise the structure of the kitchen was the same only here no flowers were to be found. Instead through the windows the beauty of tropical vegetation showed and beyond the blue of open see could be seen.

Harry walked up to the windows and was hit with a wave of intense heat as he opened one. "Now if the summer turns out dismal and cold and rainy back in England, you can bet we'll be coming here instead ! Welcome to Black Island Manor, Remus"

Harry walked outside and immediately two beautiful birds landed on a shrub nearby. "Well hello my beauties. I recognize you. Sirius sent a few messages with you last year. Sorry I don't have a message for you to send out. Oh wait, actually I do. I'll be right back."

At this Harry made his way back into the house and walked to the study, hoping he'd find some parchment and quills. He wasn't disappointed finding an identical set up in the study, only with less books about and no Mr Black at the desk. Harry quickly wrote Professor Dumbledore's invitation to tea with the four werewolves and returned outside to send the letter off with one of the tropical birds.

Remus in the mean time made a tour of the house and found to his amusement a tropical version of the house he'd been at just moments before. Even the top floor was a complete room of requirements. The ground floor Remus had discovered was also identical to the one in the Manor, but for the lack of flowers. No need for plants indoor here, as the lush tropical vegetation outside offered color and scent enough. To his surprise however, the library here was just as well stocked with a complete different set of books, some of which were quite a treasure and Remus itched to get his hands on some of them.

Although the place was cared for, it looked less pristine than the Manor and Harry, now returned from the outside, investigated the whereabouts of a house elf. He found her in the cellar downstairs, hiding in a corner, shaking with fright. Aware of Blythe's presumption she would be beheaded, Harry immediately said to her : "Hello, I'm Harry, Sirius' godson and now new owner of the manor. I don't behead house elves when they are old or ill."

At this the elf visibly shook less than before and she shyly turned her face to Harry. Large watery eyes looked up at Harry with a ray of hope shining through. "Master doesn't ?" asked the elf. "You are family now and I would not do that, ever ! And please call me Harry. What is your name ?"

"I is Beatrice, Harry, how can I helps you ?"

"Well Beatrice I'm happy to meet you. Can you tell me if there is another house elf around, or any other beings, wizards, creatures that I should know ? I'm new to the Black estate so I have a lot to learn."

"Two love birds outside and me is all, Harry. And only wizard around was master last year with hippogriff beast."

"Beatrice, you must get lonely, do you ever visit with Blythe at Black Manor or does she visit here ?"

"Oh no, Harry we is good house elf. We not go visit."

"Well Beatrice, why don't you come to Black Manor with us. It must get awful lonely on your own. You can meet Blythe, Dobby and Winky."

Beatrice was visibly shaken by the invitation. Remus timed the end of his tour to perfection and just then arrived in the kitchen. Harry introduced the two and then the threesome made their way back to Black Manor.

Remus returned to the table, finishing his breakfast. Thanks to a heating charm the food was still nice and warm. When Blythe noticed Beatrice had arrived she started crying and soon Beatrice too had tears leaking from her eyes. It took some time but at last Harry understood the reason for their tears of happiness. The two house elves were sisters and hadn't seen each other for a long time.

By now it was time for Dobby and Winky to arrive so Harry headed to the Hall. After welcoming the pair to their new home, Harry gave them a tour of the house, then sat in the kitchen with all four house elves and explained the plans for the holidays and then tackled the plans for when Harry was in school. How Remus would be living in Grimmauld Place and would need some help keeping the place tidy and be able to provide the Order members with food and drinks. Harry explained that Remus may well be a regular visitor at Black Manor and the Island and how he hoped the house elves would be able to look after him. Harry suggested also that with Dobby at Hogwarts the three of them would all stay either at Black Manor or Grimmauld Place and visit the other residences on a regular basis to make sure all was well at the houses, since only Remus would be a visitor. If and when Harry wanted to go to the Island or Black Manor he would be able to tell Dobby in advance so the house elves had some fair warning of what to expect. As a last surprise Harry showed them their rooms, and after choosing a room each, the now four doors sported a plaque just like Harry's bedroom, each inscribed with the house elf's name.

Leaving the elves to organize themselves Harry went to the study and met up with Mr Black. He told him about his early morning encounter with the gardeners and a few of the inhabitants from the forest and also related him the stunned look on Remus' face when he landed in the Hall of Black Island Manor while a moment before he'd been in the kitchen eating his breakfast.

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

Have a nice weekend all.

kadedeetje


	11. Chapter 10

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**10 Of Books and Werewolves**

Mr Black was smiling at the image Harry conjured and asked if Harry had any questions to ask about the estate now he'd had some time to mull over the information.

"I was thinking, sir, about Remus and the fact that no one can be at Black Manor or the Island if I'm not around. Yesterday you mentioned making someone a warden of Grimmauld Place giving that person some power over the place. Could I do something similar and allow Remus to visit here even while I'm at school ? He loves the library and to be a bit selfish, he would spend more time with me in the summer, if he knew he had unlimited access while I'm at school. He'd be able to come and go as he pleases. I trust him so I'd like to show him that."

"I like it too, Harry, I'll have someone to talk to as well. And yes, it's possible to allow him in. You just need to put an entry in the Book. I believe you made a start at reading it last night, Harry. Do you have any questions so far about it ?"

"I did read a bit of it last night and I couldn't help but wonder how I was able to read all the early entries considering that the language would have been different at the time."

"That's because of the self updating charm on the book. It adapts to new language."

"I also noticed, sir, that there were several different coloured inks used for these entries. Is that significant or just coincidence ? What struck me was the more clinical approach of the entries in black ink compared to the coloured entries."

"Well spotted, Harry. You are correct that there is a difference. All the black entries are the ones generated by the book itself. They are part of the old charms that would have been put in there when the book was created.

The coloured entries are those made by all of the different heirs. It is only since my death that no more coloured entries can be found. These personal notes are where you want to be careful Harry. Through ignorance, spite or carelessness a few of the Black men caused terrible tragedies when entering things in anger or when trying to get even in a stupid quarrel.

The only restriction these notes have is that you can only enter information on the heir before you, that is the one you inherited the estate from, and on those family members who are or were alive at the moment you inherited the estate. Well, Harry, are you ready to create your very first entry in to the family book ?"

Harry nodded nervously but Mr Black was quick to ease his mind.

Together they worked out the text Harry would enter detailing the true story behind Sirius' imprisonment, giving explanation why the new heir was not a blood relation and taking the opportunity to include Remus in the story and grant him the rights to be in the Black dwellings even in the absence of the true heir. No sooner had Harry neatly penned his first entry into the Black family history book when back at Grimmauld Place the family tapestry was updated with the addition of Remus' name and his status as Honorary Guardian of the true heir. Mr Black suggested Harry quickly made a visit to Grimmauld Place to see the changes for himself.

The first sign his entry in the book had indeed worked was when Harry apparated in the Tapestry Room at Grimmauld Place on his own. Next was the appearance of Remus' name and a similar solid silver line linking his guardian's name with his own on the large tapestry.

Harry returned to Black Manor and reported his findings to Mr Black. With just a little over an hour before his visitors would arrive they agreed to finish for the day and Harry then stopped in the kitchen to eat a banana and an apple and drink a large glass of pumpkin juice before finding Remus in the library engrossed in a book.

"Hello Remus, interesting book ?"

At first only a vague "Hmm" could be heard, until Remus' head snapped up and he said, clearly flustered "Hi Harry, yes these books you have are brilliant. Is it time for tea and our visitors already ?"

"Oh no, Remus, we have a little more time. I just wanted to give you a little present."

"Harry, you don't have to give me presents."

"I know but I'm just being a little selfish giving it to you."

Remus clearly didn't know how to take this comment so Harry explained his selfish reasoning behind granting Remus special access to the Black residences.

Harry's explanation left Remus speechless and he was hardly able to say "Thanks Harry. You don't know how much your trust means to me."

Professor Dumbledore arrived early for tea as he wanted to tell Harry about the response to the invitations. Luna and her father had planned a five week trip already and so Luna would join them for the last two weeks of the holidays. Hermione's parents had agreed to let her come, as they'd seen how much Hermione missed her friends. Mrs Longbottom had had most reservations, just as Harry had figured. But she too realized that Neville missed being around youngsters during the holidays. The added bonus was the safety of the Manor. She'd grilled Professor Dumbledore about it and after his confirmation of Harry's statement she now looked forward to seeing the place for herself. The invitation for her to accompany Neville when he arrived had been a brilliant move.

Harry in turn explained about his meeting with the gardeners that morning and how he found out about the alternative potion they use for their lycanthropy. With Remus admitting that he did feel different since regularly using the Wolfsbane potion Harry had figured it would do no harm to check out the other potion.

As it was now about time for his guests to arrive, Harry left Professor Dumbledore with Remus and waited for them outside. When he saw the four men coming, it was easy to pick out the third brother, as the fourth man stood out by a mile due to his Weasley red hair.

As the four approached, Harry went to meet them, and extended his hand again, welcoming Joe and David and making his acquaintance with Luke and Elijah. As they walked to the kitchen doors, Harry excused himself for the fact they would be taking tea in the family kitchen as opposed to the formal rooms. The idle talk obviously worked as the two new men visibly relaxed. Once Harry had introduced his guests to Professor Dumbledore and Remus, the four house elves showed off and gave them a tea fit for royalty. They served several tea fragrances and included a whole array of little cakes, scones, clotted cream, jams and preserves and a whole number of delicious sandwiches. The seven men did justice to the spread and soon the talk was very relaxed. Harry had already talked to Remus about letting the men in on Remus' lycanthropy should they be a pleasant lot. Now with the nod from Remus Harry explained the situation and asked after the potion they were using. Joe, the eldest of the men started to explain. As Remus and Professor Dumbledore asked more information, Harry eyed Elijah and noticed how the man had been looking at several of the plants in the kitchen, as if eager to examine them from up close. So Harry told him about the ones in the living room and invited him to go and have a look at them. Elijah was explaining how a few of the plants were thought to be extinct and if Harry was interested he could make a fortune if he choose to re-introduce them in wizarding society. Harry laughed at the idea and said that he'd probably kill them if he started handling them. But Harry did talk about Neville and his knowledge and huge interest in herbology. Elijah made a comment as to how good Neville then must be in potions too but Harry was quick to explain about Snape and his hatred for Gryffindors and Harry and Neville in particular and how most students found Potions to be a hard subject to grasp.

At that moment Joe called from the kitchen for Elijah and as Harry and the man returned it turned out that they needed Elijah's better knowledge to explain about a few finer details of the potion.

After a little more talk of the potion Professor Dumbledore asked them about their life and once again Joe as the eldest told of how Elijah was staying with them while his parents were off visiting his mum's parents, how the four of them were camping outside when they were attacked by a werewolf. Their mum looked after them to get them healed up and then about three weeks later, just as Elijah's parents were due back, made them some sandwiches and together with their dad apparated them to the middle of a forest, dropped them off and disappeared without a trace. At first it was all a big adventure but after a while the four boys, aged between barely seven and nine years old got frightened. Through some luck they found some edible food and when the first full moon came around it was mainly thanks to the fact the four boys were together that they survived that night. They did however meet up with a fellow werewolf, much older and more experienced in changing. The man, in their young eyes ancient as anything, took them in. When the man started to question them they experienced some trouble remembering who they were and what was going on but the Professor somehow got out what had happened. Prof. had lived on his own for quite a few years and now enjoyed looking after the boys and teaching them with varying levels of success Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Defense against the Dark Arts, Legilimency and Occlumency, Herbology, Ancient Runes, History and Medical Magic.

It wasn't until they were well in their twenties that Professor LeBon told them of the Memory Charm he'd found on them, put upon them probably in an attempt to make them forget their family. They'd had a difficult time but the boys hardly remembered their family anyway. When Joe finished telling their story Professor Dumbledore told the men of the story their parents had told the rest of the wizarding society. Most likely after the parents dropped the boys in the woods they raised the alarm that their boys had been attacked in the night while out camping in the back garden. They must have made up a most convincing story as the boys were never found. And Professor Dumbledore added how Elijah's parents had been devastated upon their return to learn their only child had been killed and both of them had had no will to live after that. The Waverly parents and siblings on the other hand seemed cursed after that. While vacationing near a muggle camping site the father and four remaining siblings caught a muggle disease called measles and in her shock at finding all of them so ill their mother accidentally gave them the wrong potion and they all died shortly after. Their mum left a note saying "I never meant to kill them all." And then drank some poison. The wizarding society always assumed she meant her four remaining kids but now knowing the truth of the earlier situation it meant so much more.

Professor Dumbledore also told them he'd known Professor LeBon very well as his own Potions professor while at Hogwarts. He'd been a good teacher and enjoyed his job immensely but he'd left his teaching job unexpectedly and had claimed research as his reason for leaving. Everybody of the teaching staff had been quite surprised but never questioned his motives. Now knowing these facts his decision made a lot more sense.

The stories were a lot to take in so conversation was non existent for a short time. It was Dobby's question if more tea was wanted that brought everyone back to the here and now. David checked his watch and as Joe and himself were expected at a potential new gardening client's house in a short while the four men said their thank you 's and goodbyes after Harry invited them back for lunch on Sunday a week.

After arranging for a light dinner to be served a bit later Harry asked Remus and Professor Dumbledore for a few moments of their time before they disappeared in the library. They remained sitting in the kitchen while Harry explained about Mr Black's talk about the Black estate.

"It made me wonder what the Black estate really means in terms of properties and money. Sirius mentioned a vault when he explained about getting me the Firebolt and he obviously must have believed to have enough money to leave 100 000 galleons to you Remus. But Mr Black explained that when he set up the inheritance charms he made a deal with Gringotts that they would be looking after the estate and they've had an almost free reign with a large part of the money for the past 300 years. Even Mr Black has no idea about the current situation. So I drafted a letter for Gringotts telling them I'd be visiting them soon but also asking them for a report on the current status to be picked up by Lily. After talking about the Black estate and drafting the letter I got thinking of the Potter estate. Can you tell me Professor Dumbledore, if there's anything left other than the money in my vault ? Are there maybe any family portraits or other heirlooms of the family left ?"

"Alas Harry, that's the one thing I cannot answer for you. Most families have several vaults. There is the main family vault most often containing heirlooms, paperwork and possessions from ancestors. This vault is accessible only by the head of the family and sometimes his or her spouse. Secondly there would be a vault purely for money that is used for household expenses. That's where the money would come from to pay for shopping and any bills. And last there would be a vault for every member of the family. It is an old wizarding custom to open a vault for each child in the family upon their first birthday even if they only deposit a few knuts or sickles. When the child gets access to it however will differ per family. You got access to yours when you were introduced to our world at eleven but in some families it's when the child enters third year or even comes of age. Upon the wizard's death the vault will be emptied and the contents placed in either of the two family vaults. Now I can but presume that the Potter vault indeed will contain some family heirlooms but even as the rightful guardian of the estate I never had access to it. As for the money Gringotts has been looking after it.

Now let's see … Why don't I write them a letter giving them permission to provide you as future heir with an overview of the properties and assets of the Potter estate. If you add a paragraph to your letter and attach my note I am sure they'll send you a report too. And maybe we could arrange a visit to the Potter family vault so you could at least have a look around."

"That would be brilliant, Sir. Other than the few pictures of my parents that Hagrid arranged for me after my first year I have no idea whatsoever about my family."

Leaving Remus and Professor Dumbledore to retreat into the library once more Harry hurried upstairs and rewrote the letter to Gringotts, adding a paragraph with his request for the Potter estate details and mentioning the letter from Professor Dumbledore.

Harry had been reading some more in the Black family book when Dobby came to tell him that dinner was about to be served. Taking the Gringotts letter he thanked Dobby and went downstairs where he met up with Remus and Professor Dumbledore as they too made their way to the kitchen. Professor Dumbledore handed Harry his parchment addressed to Gringotts and an eager Lily turned up on Harry's shoulder to carry off the missives.

The three men enjoyed another delicious meal and then retreated to the sitting room with Professor Dumbledore soon engrossed in an old looking tome of a book. Harry and Remus sat at one of the games table with Remus explaining how the game of Code-breaker was played. One player got to set a code by means of five runes. The other player had to guess the right combination helped by hints provided by the board. Sensing the inexperience of Harry the board only provided the 'beginners' version and Remus explained he knew of 'advanced' versions where up to 25 runes were used to set the code.

After a few test games to get the hang of it, Harry's first real game took a surprising twelve goes before he broke Remus' code and when they switched sides the board provided a ten runes version for the intermediate player that Remus was. "Sheer dumb luck" as Professor McGonnagal would call it made Remus set seven out of the ten runes correctly on his - always a guess - first turn and with only two more goes Remus broke the code. After a few more games each and Harry now back to code setter he decided to try a bit of bluffing and set a complete blank code using none of the runes. The frustrated sounds from Remus after this thirtieth go brought Professor Dumbledore to watch the game and he chuckled as he saw Harry's code and the manoeuvres Remus had already made. When Remus heard this reaction he finally gave in. Harry apologized to Remus to try something so sneaky, but as he'd had no one to check the validity of his 'code' with and the board's willingness to be used gave him the idea it was permitted.

Remus was quite surprised at the unusual use of the game and frowned in concentration as the implications for future games set in. For a moment Harry's survival instincts from his Dursley days kicked in gear but it was a sudden glint in Remus' eye and a chuckle that set Harry's mind at rest. "Brilliant Harry, we'll see how Kingsley Shacklebolt will break that code next time I get him to play."

For a next game Remus switched places with Professor Dumbledore with Harry in the code breaking seat. Harry's first guess with an all clear code indicated that Professor Dumbledore used two blank spots and used three runes out of the five available. Luck was on Harry's side and he finished the game in only three more tries. With Harry now in the role of code setting the board showed 15 runes indicating that Professor Dumbledore was an experienced player. When the Professor was no were near a solution twenty three tries later it was Remus who came up with the solution. "Albus you are cheating on this game. Normally you are much better at this. It never takes you this many tries to solve the code."

Professor Dumbledore had the grace to slightly blush and his eyes were twinkling like mad. "You are both right and wrong Remus. I did not cheat on this particular game and you've seen my true level of expertise – or should I say lack of it. When I play I usually pick up stray thoughts from the player. It's a form of legilimency you develop over time. But Harry here has been occluding his mind so well I've been stumbling about in the dark."

Harry had been smiling at the story the Professor was admitting to until he heard the part about himself occluding his mind.

"Em Sir, I have to admit I'm not doing anything of the sort. Ever since I returned to Privet Drive I've been dreaming of nothing but Sirius, and I'm sure it is him and not a false image from Voldemort because he's been telling me things no one else would know. Even Remus will have to admit that."

"You are quite right Harry. That could be no one other than Sirius. No amount of polyjuice could make him so … Sirius !"

Professor Dumbledore was getting more and more confused when Remus too was talking about seeing Sirius in his dreams so Harry, liberally aided by Remus explained about Mr Black's theory that circumstances had led to the activation of an Amor spell and that Harry apparently was able to 'spread' it out. For the first time in ages Harry was well rested, despite his visits with Sirius, and Voldemort was not giving him any grief.

"So that's what Voldemort is so upset about !", exclaimed Professor Dumbledore. "Severus has reported that ever since the beginning of the holidays Voldemort has been upset and he figured it might have been regarding his sudden cut in funding or the loss of some of his Inner Circle Death Eaters but that situation had been in place a bit before the start of the holidays so we were in doubt. But this makes perfect sense. He's lost yet another round against you and while doing so has been sighted and the Wizarding world now knows of his reappearance. On top of that he lost one of his strongest weapons against you. Harry this is indeed good news. You say Mr Black is looking into this Amor spell ? I've never heard of it."

"Yes sir, but apparently it's a rare occurrence. He asked me to write down all the things that happen that I can attribute to the spell to further the knowledge about its effects. I guess that I can include occlumency on the list of things it does."

Both Remus and Professor Dumbledore were smiling at the face Harry pulled at the idea of yet another something that set him apart from the normal kids and for some time Remus and Harry talked to Professor Dumbledore about the conversations with Sirius they'd had and how it helped them both.

It wasn't until Harry muffled a yawn that they realized how late it had become and they all went to bed.

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

Have a nice weekend all.

kadedeetje


	12. Chapter 11

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**11 Arrivals**

Thursday morning found Harry awake bright and early. Knowing he'd never be able to fall asleep again, Harry decided he'd use the pool for a nice morning paddle. He'd asked Remus to teach him to swim properly, and Remus had quickly agreed and suggested to see if any of the others would want to join the lessons.

Harry walked to the changing cubicles at the far end of the swimming pool room and hoped to find a black pair of swimming trunks rather than a pair in some lurid neon colour as the ones he'd seen his aunt buy for Dudley. He heaved a sigh of relief to find a pair of dark green swimming trunks. "Not black but still a good colour." He thought as he quickly changed and walked up to the pool again. Feeling with his foot he found the water to be a nice temperature and decided to jump straight in. When his head emerged from the water a few moments later he found that he'd had a few safety precautions added to his swim wear. Looking down he now wore a swimming ring and matching arm bands in a neon yellow with orange and blue fishes swimming around it. Harry couldn't help it and started laughing. "Good thing I'm alone," he thought before saying out loud "Thanks for the protection, but could it please be a bit less noticeable in future ?" No sooner had he finished and the safety gear became transparent. It was still there but you couldn't see it. "Thanks." He started to paddle from one end of the pool to the other and after about twenty minutes got out and reentered the changing cubicle to find all the necessities for a nice shower. So Harry took the opportunity and after washing and drying got into one of the jeans and t-shirts Remus had bought him yesterday. He still had over an hour before Hermione arrived so he went to have breakfast in the kitchen. As he walked in he saw Dobby turning the bacon in one frying pan while three others had a good helping of scrambled eggs, mushrooms and fried tomatoes.

"Good morning Dobby, this smells and looks promising."

"Good morning, Harry, sir. It will be ready soon."

"There's no hurry. Hermione won't arrive for another hour." Thinking to pour himself a glass of juice, Harry walked to the fridge and found inside several pitchers of different juices and also a big bowl filled with a fresh fruit salad. He found a drinking glass and a smaller bowl and served himself a generous helping of the fruit salad and the tropical smelling fruit juice.

He'd just finished eating the fruit salad when a worried looking Remus came in.

"Harry are you alright ? Did you sleep well ?"

"Good morning Remus. Thanks, I did sleep well actually. I fell asleep real quickly but started to panic quite soon after thinking I wasn't dreaming and seeing Sirius but I heard my dad say not to worry because you could call Sirius on your own. It did work, didn't it ?"

"Oh yes, Harry, your dad was correct. I fell asleep and ended up in front of the Veil as yesterday and I decided to wait for you, but then I heard your dad too telling me to at least try. I did and Sirius appeared. I was still worried about you though."

"Remus, you don't have to worry about me," Harry laughed, "I have the entire house looking out for me." Seeing Remus' puzzled face Harry explained in colourful detail about his early morning swim and the sudden appearance of the swim ring and arm bands.

Remus chuckled at the mental picture he had from the story and now far more relaxed tucked into his breakfast with gusto.

The two sat at the breakfast table enjoying a cup of tea and talked of the plans for the day until it was time for Harry to put on his invisibility cloak and standing next to Neferti awaiting Hermione's arrival.

On the dot at nine Hermione appeared in the middle of the hall, Crookshanks in his carrier basket in her right hand, her left hand pressed to her trunk. She looked slightly worried and apprehensive and blinked her eyes a few times as if testing if she really was seeing a sphinx.

Neferti in her gentle voice said "Welcome Miss Hermione to Harry's Haven. I am Neferti and here to present you with a riddle. I'm not an airplane, but I can fly through the sky. I'm not a river, but I'm full of water. Please tell me : what am I?"

Harry smiled at the look of concentration on Hermione's face as she worked through the riddle. A few short moments later she answered "It's a cloud, right ?"

Neferti smiled and said "Well done Miss Hermione". At the praise Hermione relaxed a little but she jumped in surprise when a small pop was heard and Winky appeared. "Welcome Miss Hermione, I'll be taking your trunk up for you."

"Winky, is that you ?" asked Hermione. Harry taking this as the right moment to appear from under his cloak answered in Winky's place and said "Yes Hermione, she works for Remus and me now."

Hermione turned round and saw Harry, let out a shriek and ran up to him and gave him a good hug while firing off question after question.

Harry returned the hug and was finally able to say "Hermione, stop ! Neville and his grandmother will be arriving shortly. I'll explain later when the Weasleys have arrived too." Harry then turned to Neferti and reminded her to be sure to tell the beings in the forest to keep an eye on Crookshanks once he was allowed outside in a few days. Neferti confirmed she'd already spoken to a few of them about the visitors and that she'd let him know if anyone else wanted to speak to him. Hermione looked on with keen interest and Harry suspected she'd only added another few dozen questions to the already long list.

A few moments later two cracks indicated that Neville and his grandmother had arrived and Harry walked closer to welcome them. From the surprised look on Neville's face Harry could tell his grandmother hadn't told him about the destination of their travel and he hoped Neville would want to stay. Winky arrived to take the travelling cloaks and Dobby took care of Neville's trunk and Trevor the toad's new carrier and, probably sensing a new plant Blythe appeared to take the mimbulus mimbletonia to a safe place.

Harry then took his guests on a tour of the study, library (where he had difficulty to get Hermione to continue with the tour), the two sitting rooms and the dining room. He showed them the master bedroom and a few of the other rooms on either floor and ended on the top floor where even Mrs Longbottom was impressed with the large flexible rooms. From the balcony Harry had wished for in the room above the kitchens he also gave them a view of the gardens and forest below. They ended the tour in the kitchen and were welcomed there by Remus and the smell of freshly baked cookies. Harry introduced Remus to Mrs Longbottom and apologised for taking tea there rather than in one of the other rooms, but Mrs Longbottom expressed her pleasure at the room. As it was now almost ten Harry excused himself and went in the hall to await his next guests. The Weasleys arrived with a bang as Ron dropped his trunk just as they apparated in the middle of the hall. The twins both held in the expletive they wanted to utter as Ron's trunk had managed to hit the both of them. Mr and Mrs Weasley were occupied checking if all the possessions had made the transfer so it was Ginny who saw him first and threw herself in his arms with a squeal. She was talking to him, but Harry couldn't hear her properly as the other five Weasleys were talking too. Ginny let him go and Harry was soon swept in a hug from Mrs Weasley. Harry was now saying how happy he was they'd all arrived and extended the invitation to tea.

"Just leave your trunks here, Dobby and Winky will take them upstairs in a moment. Mrs Longbottom, Hermione, Neville and Remus are waiting for us in the kitchen."

The boisterous group followed Harry in the kitchen and a few hectic minutes followed as they all said hello to each other. Once the whole group was seated at the table and every one had a drink it was Mrs Weasley who finally noticed the splendour of her surroundings and asked Harry about the house.

So Harry set off on the long explanation of how he'd come to live here, occasionally aided by Remus. He told them of Sirius' last prank, still visible in his bright pink hair and produced the mirror to share the funny replies it came up with.

It was Mrs Longbottom who broke up the happy meeting quite some time later as she realised she would be almost late for a meeting with her local vicar. Harry and Neville escorted her to the hall where Dobby was ready with Mrs Longbottom's cloak. She told Neville to behave and have a good holiday as she hugged him and kissed the top of his head and she turned to Harry to thank him. But Harry, feeling a bit silly for not thinking of this sooner invited her to come over as often as she wanted, even for a longer stay as there was plenty of space anyway. Mrs Longbottom was clearly pleased with this invitation and promised to let them know a few days ahead of her visit.

Back in the kitchen Harry suggested to the group to go on a tour of the house so that bedrooms could be sorted. While climbing the stairs to the first floor Harry explained that both Remus' and his room were on this floor so that it seemed reasonable to house all the men on the first floor and let the ladies the choice of the remaining bedrooms on the floor above. No sooner had they all chosen their bedroom when little name plaques appeared on the doors and the four house elves offered to unpack. All moving to the top floor the wrap around balcony offered Harry a chance to show them the gardens and explained how two gardeners working mainly early in the morning looked after them. Hermione sided up to Harry and whispered her question for the bathroom. Harry gave her a small smile and explained out loud that the whole house acted a bit like the room of requirements at Hogwarts and so when needed any door would lead to a bathroom.

Once returned to the ground floor Harry showed them the two formal rooms, the sitting room, library and study before returning to the kitchen. Once everybody was seated at the table waiting for lunch to be served Hogwarts style Harry told them of his biggest surprise. How he'd arrived for the first time to find the place inhabited by one of the original owners. Just as Harry had finished his story in came Remus and Mr Black. To say they were shocked was putting their reaction mildly. His life like appearance and his uncanny resemblance to Sirius made Mr Black's presence feel very natural and very strange at the same time. After the first few awkward moments the mood was back to fun as the house elves had once again outdone themselves to dish up a meal fit for kings and queens. After lunch Remus took over to talk about the plans they'd come up with for the summer : just fun and games until the end of the week, after that the mornings would be dedicated to study for Harry and anyone else interested in joining. He also mentioned the presence of the needed-shelf in the library that, like the room of requirements, would provide you with all the available books in the extensive Black library on a subject of your choice, even coming up with the one book if your request was detailed enough. Blythe had offered to share her extensive knowledge on plants and their care with anyone interested and Remus would be giving swimming lessons.

With the exception of the study where Mr Black would be spending most of his time the ground floor rooms were open to anyone. For the bedrooms the general rule would be to stay out of any room with a closed door.

Breakfast would be served between 8:30 and 9:30, lunch at 13:00, tea at 16:30 and dinner at 19:00 and for in between meals snacks and drinks would be available in the large kitchen fridge.

And so started the most fun days for Harry and his friends. They spent hours flying around the quidditch pitch with even Hermione and Mrs Weasley joining in the fun when they realised the brooms fitted the expertise level of the flyers. They'd spent an afternoon exploring the maze in the garden. Despite the shrieks and laughter from the others Harry had trouble putting aside the bad memories of the last Triwizard test and somehow made it out in record time. It wasn't until he was observing the others from the safety of his broom that Harry realised the maze adjusted itself. The swimming pool too proved to be a big hit. Both Mr and Mrs Weasley were very good swimmers and spent quite a lot of time in and around the pool. Ron and the twins had had less luck than Harry the first time they jumped into the pool. Like Harry they were surfacing seconds later attired with swimming rings and arm bands in the craziest of colours and cartoon characters. Unfortunately for them it happened in full view of all the others present at the time. Their complaints only resulted in the colours to change to even weirder combinations until Ron finally used the magic word of please and the bands finally turned transparent.

As agreed with Gringotts Lily went to pick up the reports on the Black and Potter estate on Friday. Harry had asked her to deposit the documents on his desk in his bedroom. Immediately after dinner Harry excused himself with his friends and retreated to his bedroom. To say Harry was surprised by the size of the package was an understatement.

The first page he found was a letter from the Gringotts manager.

Dear Mr Potter

As per your request I have enclosed a summarised overview of the current status of both the Potter and Black estate as well as an in depth report of the Black family estate.

You will find that your late godfather has left you in charge of an immense estate with a wide variety of properties and investments.

It is my wish to continue to assist you in any way possible and look forward to meeting you in the near future. Should you have any further inquiries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely

Schmegg

Head Goblin

Gringotts

Looking through the smallest file first Harry learned that his family had been fairly well off to begin with and that the lack of costs for the past 15 years combined with a smart management by Gringotts had made the estate quite sizeable. With the muggle connection through his mother they had ventured in the muggle investments and real estate world and a steady income was guaranteed.

Unfortunately they were unable to provide him with the information on the contents in his family vault but with the written permission from Dumbledore already in their possession a visit to the family vault would be included when Harry visited in the next few weeks. And provided the Potter family vault contained any and allowed their removal Harry would be able to take a few items of his choice out of the vault for his new home.

The second larger file contained a similar summary for the Black estate as he'd received for the Potter estate. Harry learned that the Black estate as it was now was the sum of three different entities. First was the public part that the Black family had been aware of and it had served as the provider of funds for the Black generations of the last 300 years. It mainly consisted of a little money, jewelry and other family heirlooms in the family vault. This part was used to make a few monthly payments.

The second part was everything that belonged to Sirius personally and last but not least, the third part were those funds set aside by the late Mr Black when he created the inheritance charm and handed over to Gringotts for management. With free reign on what was a hefty amount to begin with the goblins had outdone themselves to accumulate properties beyond Harry's wildest dreams. Not only was there an immense portfolio of stocks and bonds from the muggle world, here too a lot of gem stones had been acquired and only two days ago the purchase of the 1700th muggle property had not been executed now a new owner might like to change the instructions.

Harry closed the summary report on the Black estate and looked down at the huge third report. Not feeling ready for the details it would contain Harry decided to turn in quickly and ask Sirius for some advice.

Sirius listened to Harry's account of the state of the Black estate with growing surprise. He'd been aware that the Black family was well to do, but he had had no inkling as to the true size of it. When Remus made an appearance he immediately noticed something was troubling Harry. When Sirius brought him up to date with details of Harry's discovery he too was speechless. After a few moments he came with the sound advice to just not be hasty. Only when he'd become a little more used to the situation was Harry to look over the details and start taking actions.

When Harry got up on Saturday he put the reports in the top drawer of his desk and decided to worry about that after the weekend. Now he would have some more fun.

Saturday was spent mainly outdoors playing quidditch and croquet, a muggle game Hermione and Remus had introduced to cater for those less eager on a broom. As had become habit in the evenings they all gathered in the sitting room and listened to stories Mr Black told them about his younger years. On Sunday Professor Dumbledore joined them for lunch and a tour through the maze in the garden. He got cornered three times by Neferti before he finally made it out. Afterwards he retreated to the library while the others decided another go in the swimming pool would round off their day in beauty.

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

Have a nice weekend all.

kadedeetje


	13. Chapter 12

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**12 The fun in learning**

With the arrival of Monday morning a new period of the summer had started. Mr Weasley returned to work with enough food and snack packs to last him a week. Mrs Weasley, Ginny and Harry wished him a nice day, the latter two still with slightly damp hair after their morning paddle.

Ginny and Hermione had indicated they wanted to join Harry in his lessons as often as possible. Hermione's thirst for knowledge was not uncommon and Ginny indicated she wanted to get ahead now she had the OWLS to prepare for. So it was agreed that Mr Black would have a history session with a full house as his stories were so interesting, a session on the old magic for Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Neville, the twins, Harry and Remus, and one session limited to Harry only which would deal with the Black estate and which would give Harry a complete understanding of the current inheritance charm and all the protection charms around the estates. Once he'd covered all the existing ones Mr Black wanted to take Harry even a step further by teaching him how to create similar charms himself.

Two mornings a week Remus would be teaching the youngsters upstairs on the third floor and they ended up having classes very much like the DA meetings.

They all settled really quickly in this new routine and the talks by Mr Black were very entertaining as well as highly educational. And with a large part of the day still available for fun and games everybody was feeling happy at the way things worked out.

On the Thursday after dinner Harry joined the others in the living room when Ginny came up to him and smiled, book in hand. "You've got mum hooked on romance novels, you know Harry."

Harry looked at her in surprise. "What did I do ?"

"With the house elves doing all the jobs she's found leisure time for the first time in long. So she was wandering around in the library when she spotted all these delightful romance novels. And now she can't get enough of them. Dad on the other hand," she continued as she nodded in Mr Weasley's direction who was sitting in the armchair opposite his wife, "has found a muggle DIY manual that he's now studying intently in the hope he'll be able to learn to do these things too. And the library just provided me with a book on OWLs. Just what I need to prepare myself. That library of yours is a downright treasure trove."

Harry looked around and indeed saw that everybody was sitting down reading. Even the twins were buried deep inside a hefty old tome. Only Ron sitting at the table with a chess set on sat staring at his family and friends with a lost look on his face. Harry walked up to him and asked "Ron, would you like a new opponent for a change ? I know Mr Black enjoys the game and it's been a while since he's been able to play."

Ron's eyes lit up and he eagerly asked "Do you think he'll want to ?"

"Only one way to find out. Let's go and ask him."

Mr Black wanted very much to play a game of chess. It had been truly ages since he'd played against a fellow lover of chess.

Returning to the living room Harry saw everybody was engrossed in their books so he walked up to Remus and softly told him he'd be upstairs at this desk if anyone asked for him. He wanted to look through those Gringotts documents in some more detail.

Once seated at his desk Harry took the largest report and flipped it open at a random page. To his surprise all he found there was a list of … names. Turning the pages the list of names continued only interspersed periodically with an address.

Realising he'd need to go through this report in a more methodical way Harry closed the report and started up from the beginning. He found a table of contents making the task ahead a whole lot easier.

The report started by listing the possessions. First up were three pages worth of precious and semi-precious stones, rings, necklaces and other jewellery in gold, silver or platinum. These were followed by a list of properties, both the muggle and wizard kind. He learned that all his properties but three wizard business premises and two muggle residences were rented out. Furthermore there were the five Black family residences of which four were in regular or semi-regular use. As Harry was reading and contemplating this figure he tapped the line in the table of contents with his finger. To his utter surprise the pages started turning to stop somewhere three quarters into the report. And there in the middle of the page the title was flashing his presence to the onlooker. Harry jotted a quick note down to remind himself to look through the library to find out how that neat little trick was accomplished before reading the entry in the report on the five residences.

The first three were not surprisingly Black Manor, the Island and Grimmauld Place but to his utter surprise he found that the Lestrange household actually held residence in one of his houses. Harry penned a quick note with the address and explaining what he'd found out to Professor Dumbledore and sent Lilly on her way.

The last entry was for Black Castle Island and Harry had instantly very conflicting images flashing through his mind. On the one hand he could imagine a fairy tale castle shining in the sun while at the same time he saw images of a dark dreary cold place. Harry decided he'd pay the place a visit when the big outing and shopping spree was planned. With everyone being evicted if Harry was not around they'd decided to go stay at Grimmauld Place for the night before. Harry would return there before they all ventured into Diagon Alley for the rest of the day to do the shopping.

Harry returned to the table of contents and found that bonds and shares were next on the list. Even Harry recognised some of the names of both muggle and wizarding companies where Gringotts had invested parts of the Black fortune.

Next item on the list was the money available in the vault, followed by a detailed description of all the items in the vault. Finally the "Possessions" part was over and the "Expenses" chapter was up.

Harry decided he would look at the amount of money in the vault, have a quick look through the items in the vault and then study any expenses the estate generated.

Thinking that most money would have been spent on purchasing all those jewels and properties, Harry once again tapped the correct table entry and watched as the report flipped on its other side and traced back the few pages at the end to come to the right point in the report.

Although the estate was now centralised the amounts had been split up in three as per their origin. First there was the contents of Sirius' vault where a little over 300 000 galleons were left after the money had been transferred to Remus. The 'public' Black family vault had little money left in it but the eight figure amount that showed for the balance of the secret Black funds left Harry totally gobsmacked. This was totally unexpected. This was a major shock !

Harry was still half dazed as he looked through the vault contents but his attention was instantly drawn by a familiar word. Paying the entries a bit more heed he found here too the origin of the contents had been noted and there among Sirius' things was a Marauder Manual ! Harry smiled at the idea of having something from Sirius' more carefree days and couldn't wait to see it. From the two other vaults came quite a wide variety of tidbits. Mainly coming from the family vault were things that even sounded dangerous to Harry and he'd have to arrange for Remus to have access to these things so they could be dealt with appropriately. And then there were relatively harmless things like suits of armour, paintings, swords, daggers and dirks, furniture of all kind and surprisingly a pensieve. He'd have to ask Mr Black about that one as it came from his part of the estate.

Harry finally made it to that part of the report he really wanted to see. He remembered a story about the British Royal Household recounting how a member of staff took a glass of wine to a certain room on the third floor. When a new official saw this happening a few days in a row he went to investigate and found that centuries ago a sick visitor had stayed in that room. The staff at the time had been ordered to deliver a glass of wine to that room until further notice, and since no further notice had come they were still delivering the wine to this day. Harry wanted to make sure no money was spent in such a silly way.

The first three entries were pretty self-explanatory. Mr Black had made provisions before he died to have all new publications on certain subjects purchased and sent to Black Manor. On top of that twice a year a catalogue would be sent out so a further selection could be made. A similar arrangement had been made with a nursery. A catalogue listing their new produce and available seedlings and seeds would be sent out and the house elf could go and pick up any orders. Payment in both cases worked via Gringotts. The third long-standing entry was an allowance of sorts paid on a yearly basis into an account the house elves could access. That had made them independent of any new master.

What truly shocked Harry however were the last three entries. They were headed under "Family Allowances". While Sirius had been in jail, allowances had been set up for his mother and two of his cousins, Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy for the whopping amount of 500 galleons a month each. The one for Sirius' mom had long been suspended as she'd passed away, but the two other ones were still receiving the money. He was angry and puzzled at the same time. Angry at the fact that those two would receive money from the estate but puzzled also about who would have set up these allowances. He could not imagine Sirius doing so, even if he hadn't been in Azkaban at the time. It might have been Sirius' dad leaving them allowances in his will but since Mr Black had mentioned that Sirius' dad had secret meetings with Tonks and her mother, Harry would have thought that he would at least also provide for her in a similar way. No, somehow Harry had a feeling these allowances were not what they seemed and he would make certain to find out all about them.

Just then a soft knock on the door sounded and Harry called to come in. The door swung open and Remus took a half step inside saying

"Sorry to interrupt Harry, I just wanted to say everybody's tucked in early today." He must have sensed Harry's troubled mind however as he continued.

"Is something bothering you ? Anything I can help with ?"

"Come on in Remus and maybe better close the door. Yes, actually I'd like to ask … ehm, I think I'll better explain. I just found out that Sirius' cousins are receiving allowances from the Black estate. They've received 500 galleons a month since 1983, along with Sirius' mum until she died. The only explanation I have would be that Sirius' dad left them these allowances, but I cannot believe that after seeing Tonks and her mum in secret for years he wouldn't just give her an allowance too. I have the funny feeling there may be more to this but until I know from Gringotts what exactly happened I can't do anything. But I got thinking maybe to start already about finding someone with legal knowledge who could help out if needed. Would you know someone like that, someone you trust ?"

"As a matter of fact I do. Paul Watkins is a werewolf too and works together with a squib woman. They are very good and thorough but don't have too much work, seeing the prejudice of wizards towards werewolves."

"Would he be interested in working for the Black estate and maybe be its face ?"

"I don't see why not. I'll write him a note to see if he's taking on any work at the moment. We could make arrangements to go see him when the outing to Diagon Alley is planned. And if we go after your visit to Gringotts you'll have more information to get his advise on."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks Remus. I feel much better now. By the way, do you know Tonks' parents ? Since Mrs Tonks was Sirius' favourite cousin I thought to invite her over maybe and if it's possible legally I could set up an allowance like the one her two sisters have received for so long."

"That would be wonderful for them Harry ! Ted had an accident several years ago and although he healed he hasn't been the same since. They are a bit like the Weasley's really. They don't have much money but they are a loving couple. Before you invite them, maybe you could see with Paul about that allowance and what can and can't be done.

Well Harry, I'm off to bed. I find that all this reading and good food and exercise is tiring me out."

"That's because you're an old man Remus. There's no other excuse." Laughed Harry, happy to be almost in bed himself. After all Remus had a good point. All the food and exercise made you tired, no matter what age you were.

That night once again Harry and Remus met up with Sirius by the veil and after explaining the situation Sirius did indeed confirm he never set up allowances for those three. When told about his father meeting Tonks and her mum in secret Sirius too had his doubts that the man would then abandon them and not include her when dishing out allowances.

"Don't let it bother you for now, Harry. Soon enough the results and school lists will arrive and then you can go check it out with Gringotts. And Paul will be able to tell you all you can and cannot do. A fortnight extra without that little extra you're planning to give them won't break them."

Harry relaxed again, after all Remus was right. They'd managed without for so long, an extra month wouldn't matter.

Author's Note :

It wasn't until just a few days ago I realised I'd forgotten to mention I wouldn't post over the holidays and I'm really sorry. I do hope you all had a wonderful time and would like to extend my best wishes for all things nice in this New Year.

Again thank you for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

Have a nice weekend all.

kadedeetje


	14. Chapter 13

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

Author's note :

So sorry I missed last week's update. I was seriously under the weather and it has taken me the best part of the week to get better. I'm making up for that though by posting two chapters today. Should be back to update next Saturday.

**13 Long lost relatives**

On Saturday morning Professor Dumbledore came by. He wanted to have a word with Remus and the Weasley parents regarding Order business, with Harry and if he was willing also with Mr Black.

With most more private spots on the ground floor already taken, Harry and Professor Dumbledore took a seat in Harry's large suite.

"There were a few things I wanted to tell you, Harry.

First of all, thank you for the note last Thursday. I passed the message on to Kingsley and Moody and they are going to keep an eye out on the property. They believe the Lestranges won't be going anywhere near the house now you've inherited it. But maybe some others might not be quite so smart.

I also wanted to keep you informed on the Voldemort front. Professor Snape has told us that apparently Voldemort is not doing too good at the moment. Possessing you and double-apparating with Bellatrix in such a short time somehow seems to have taken its toll. Professor Snape is constantly making potions for him to at least keep him going. Voldemort is sending out his Death Eaters, but with everyone on alert, nobody's been seriously hurt. I believe his forces are weakened with the most senior Death Eaters in holding cells. The only concern we have are the dementors. Some seem to have sided up with Voldemort and are causing some depression-plagues among the muggles. We fear that once Voldemort regains his strength and senses a bit more he might well stage an attack with them.

In the mean time Minister Fudge has acknowledged Voldemort has returned, and looks to be doing all the right things to protect the community, but in reality there's little being done. Amelia Bones from the Auror Department on the other hand, has organised Patronus classes as of next Monday for anyone who wants to learn about them. She heard that you and you fellow DA members were well on the way to learn and/or teach it, so she wanted to do something similar for the parents. The idea would be that if the people want more, regular sessions like it would be organised teaching them defence and protection spells, so they can hold out until help arrives. Since the teachers are all volunteers, the ministry can't do anything about them. Fudge did try though but the people from the Daily Prophet were quick to ridicule him so he stopped the protesting."

It would have been incredibly stupid of the Lestranges to remain in that house, so that news had not surprised Harry. However, the news of a weakened Voldemort brought some relief. Even though his friends and he were well protected he'd been worried that Voldemort would lash out in his frustration or anger. To find he was weakened … That news brought Harry the additional knowledge that he might just have a chance at beating the guy after all. As for Fudge, well no surprise there. Harry only hoped he wouldn't let Malfoy and his cronies off the hook again.

"Last but not least, Harry, on a much happier note, I looked into the family of your gardeners and have found that Mr Teague is, albeit very distantly, related to Mr Weasley and his brothers. I believe you are aware that Ginny was the first girl in many generations to be born in the Weasley family. Well Mr Teague is the sole remaining descendant of the previously last Weasley female. Apparently those red hairs are very dominant ! The Waverlys on the other hand have no other family left with neither their parents nor grandparents having had siblings."

"Well," said Harry, "in that case I'm afraid Mr Teague will be meeting an awful lot of family tomorrow, as Bill, Charlie and Percy will be here too. You will be here too, Professor ? Do we tell them about it ? I know I'd like to find distant relatives, but maybe they don't ?"

"Why don't we play it by ear, hmm. Let's see how they react tomorrow. I mean, they might hate each other on first sight."

Harry grinned, thinking that for Mr Weasley to hate anyone on sight, they'd have to wear a badge or tattoo saying "I loathe muggles".

The two of them made their way downstairs where Mr Black was waiting for them. He offered the use of the study for the headmaster's talk with the Order members and would join him there later for their own talk.

Harry made his way to the kitchen, in search of some juice. He found the entire gang sitting at the kitchen table talking and laughing, so served himself some juice and joined them. He hardly sat down when Hermione looked at him and asked "Well ?".The others had also stopped their conversation and were eagerly awaiting Harry's reply.

Harry told them about Voldemort being weakened, the Patronus classes that would start as of Monday and also about the Lestrange house and surveillance it would now be under.

This lead the twins to speculate on Harry's new role as head of the family. With Malfoy a Black descendant it made him a part of Harry's family now and the twins came up with all sorts of things Harry could order Malfoy to do. Harry had to grin at the image they conjured with their silliness. Draco coming to Harry for pocket money indeed ! But Harry did make a mental note to ask Mr Black about the Head of Family role. He did not want to find out that all this joking would actually hold even the smallest bit of truth.

The next morning found not only Harry but also Mrs Weasley and Ginny waiting by the staircase in the hall for the arrival of the three eldest Weasley siblings. Harry held back until the Weasley women had given the three a warm hug and kisses before welcoming them to Black Manor. Since everyone else was currently by the pool, working up an appetite Harry suggested to head that way and doing the grand tour some time after lunch.

"You should have told us there was a pool, Harry. We could have brought our things to join you." Said a disappointed Charlie.

"That's not a problem, guys. You'll find all you need in the changing cubicles at the back of the room."

Hearing this the three grinned, called a general hello at the others and hurried down to the cubicles. Mere minutes later they re-emerged wearing swimming trunks in different shades of grey. Bill and Charlie in their enthusiasm made a big leap into the pool, only to emerge to general laughter as they too were thoroughly protected with garishly coloured swim bands, very much like their three youngest brothers had been earlier. It didn't take Bill and Charlie quite so long to have the safety measures removed altogether when it became clear they were accomplished swimmers, much like their parents. It was quite some time later that Harry exited the pool to take a breather and sat with Remus watching the entire Weasley clan frolicking around in the pool. With Neville and Hermione as first ones to prepare for lunch and guests that would soon be upon them, the Weasleys were the only ones left in the pool and Harry regarded them with a bit of envy in his eyes. Growing up with a family like them …

Remus, sensing his mood, grabbed him by the shoulder and observed : "It would have been nice Harry to grow up with parents and siblings maybe, but you would not be the Harry we know and love now. For all you know you might have ended up like Malfoy !"

Harry couldn't help but laugh at the deadpan way Remus came with that observation and after thanking him went ahead and got changed in readiness for the coming guests.

Harry had barely finished when Professor Dumbledore arrived ahead of time.

"Hello again, Harry. I had finished my chores for the day and decided I preferred to be here rather than at Hogwarts so I came a bit early. I do hope you don't mind ? Professor McGonagall arrived back late yesterday from her stay with her sister in Australia and I wanted to be out of her way. All that apparating leaves her cranky for a day or so. Her return also means you'll be getting your results in the next few days, as promised ahead of the others so you can do your shopping in relative calm."

"Thank you for arranging that sir. It'll be nice to see Diagon Alley again."

With a small crack Mrs Longbottom arrived in the centre of the hall as well. She looked a bit sheepish when she excused herself.

"I was so looking forward to coming here again I just couldn't wait a moment longer. I do hope you don't mind."

Harry couldn't help himself and was smiling broadly. "It's no problem at all, Mrs Longbottom. As a matter of fact Professor Dumbledore couldn't wait either and arrived even earlier."

Mrs Longbottom smiled back at Harry and he was surprised at the change in her face that smile brought. Thinking she must have had a hard life, what with her son and daughter in law in such a state at St Mungo's and looking after a young boy …

When the three of them arrived in the kitchen it was to find the Weasley clan with Remus, Neville and Hermione amongst them had made it out of the pool and were now sitting at the kitchen table still talking animatedly. With his usual aplomb Ron said "Oh good Mrs Longbottom, Professor Dumbledore. You're here early. That means we can eat soon too."

They all laughed but Mrs Weasley lightly smacked him on the head berating him for his lack of manners.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Ron. But I'm expecting four more people to join us. Joe and David are the gardeners. They usually come round very early in the morning but I wanted to make sure you knew them should you ever come across them. Their brother Luke and their friend Elijah are coming too. And if you are wondering if they are trustworthy, it's the wards that allow them on the estate in the first place."

Looking back upon the day from the comfort of his four-poster bed Harry was very happy at the way things had gone. After the first very awkward introduction (with three Mr Waverly's and no fewer than seven Mr Weasley's) the introductions had been made on first name basis. As was to be expected Mr Weasley had taken to all four of them, especially when they confessed their knowledge of muggle DIY. When Luke and the twins were introduced they discovered their shared love of invention and they spent a large part of the afternoon exchanging ideas. Elijah and Neville had been talking up a storm when Harry had told Mr Teague of Neville's mimbulus mimbletonia.

The biggest surprise had come when Joe had suddenly called out "Gussie, it's you !" and had swept Neville's grandmother up in a tight embrace and swung her around. It left them both rosy cheeked and slightly embarrassed. It had turned out that when Mrs Longbottom had been a young child she'd spent her summers with her aunt. Said aunt lived close to the Waverly family and the young Augusta, Gussie to her friends, had spent many hours playing with the Waverly siblings. That fateful summer her aunt had been ill so she hadn't visited and by the next year the entire family had disappeared.

As if to prove she really was Gussie Mrs Longbottom had recounted many of the adventures they'd lived through and slowly the three other men had to admit the stories were indeed true.

It had been a bit of a sticky moment when Mrs Longbottom had asked after the rest of the Waverly family, and Joe had asked Harry if he had not warned his guests of them. He had responded that it wasn't his secret to tell, and that he was sure no one would mind, other than that it had happened to them.

So Joe, once again had given a short version of their story, and had been pleasantly surprised by the lack of animosity from the listeners. Only the eldest Mr Weasley had seemed a bit put off, but the reason for this became known quite quickly, as suddenly he'd left the room to pop back some ten minutes later with an old photo album.

"Arthur Weasley, what in Merlin's name is that all about ?"

"I'm sorry Molly, and you all, but I wanted to be certain of something and this photo album has the proof I wanted. It's about Mr Teague."

Everybody present, save Harry and Professor Dumbledore were looking very curious now and it was Ginny who drew the conclusion out loud. "He's family !"

Arthur beamed at his only daughter, as she continued "I mean, with the red hair, it was no surprise, was it guys !"

Mr Weasley had explained that although he had not yet been around at the time, his mother, recently having met his father, had been aghast at the idea to loose one's only child. She had recounted the albeit incorrect story many times while going through the family albums. Arthur, keen on anything family related, had remembered the story and the name Teague and the parents' subsequent death had therefore struck a chord. Professor Dumbledore had explained he'd done some research and come across the last Weasley female link. When told of the lack of living family for the Waverly's Luke had shrugged and said "We always had each other, but Elijah has always felt a bit like the odd one out. I guess that little problem has now solved itself."

The whole day had been quite a success and Harry was quietly reassured that his plans for potions lessons just might work out well.

- - -

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

Have a nice weekend all.

kadedeetje


	15. Chapter 14

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

Author's note :

So sorry I missed last week's update. I was seriously under the weather and it has taken me the best part of the week to get better. I'm making up for that though by posting two chapters today. Should be back to update next Saturday.

**14 OWLs and NEWTs **

It was Monday morning and Mr Black was just in the middle of an interesting story on duelling customs in his young days when the tell tale sign of a phoenix arrival was heard. The next moment Fawkes landed on Harry's knee and dropped a note in his lap. Harry petted the beautiful creature and told him to go on up to his bedroom where Lilly's perch was situated and he would find a few treats.

Mr Black announced he'd take a fifteen minute break while Harry answered his mail. Smiling his thanks, Harry too made his way to his bedroom to read and answer the letter.

Dear Mr Potter

Headmaster Dumbledore has told me upon my return from holidays of the events that have taken place in your life and assured me you are doing well. He also spoke of his promise to you to give you and your friends the results of your exams sooner, so you can shop for your new books a little ahead of time.

With OWL results and school letters ready for dispatch next week I would like to take this opportunity to basically invite myself over to hand you and your friends these letters in person. If you like we can also look at the possibilities your test result will offer you for your NEWT studies. I am at your disposal for the remainder of today or all of tomorrow.

With kind regards

Professor M McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Harry wrote a note back with instructions and inviting her and Professor Dumbledore for lunch and if she wanted she was very welcome to stay overnight. He also wrote a note to Schmegg, the head goblin at Gringotts to inquire after his availability on either Wednesday or Thursday morning for a talk and a visit to Harry's new vaults.

Mr Black gave up on the idea of continuing his story once Harry announced the OWL results and new school letters would be hand delivered by Professor McGonagall that afternoon. Ron suddenly seemed to remember that those results were due and Hermione was bouncing off the walls with anticipation.

From Professor McGonagall's note Harry figured that maybe the OWL results might be something that students wanted to discuss with their parents and after checking with Remus decided to invite Neville's grandmother and Hermione's parents over too. For Hermione's parents Harry would need Professor Dumbledore's help, so he wrote a note to him, including the note to Hermione's parents.

Both Fawkes and Lilly returned shortly with approvals from Mrs Longbottom, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore on behalf of the Grangers so Harry made his way to the kitchen to advise Dobby and Winky of the additional guests for lunch. Rather than being put out for the short notice they seemed to be happy with the unexpected extra work.

By the time his guests were due Harry was almost sorry he'd warned about the arrival of the results ahead of time as Hermione had steadily grown worse as the hour approached. With Ginny's help Hermione was no where near the hall when her parents arrived almost immediately followed by a beaming Professor Dumbledore.

As he greeted Mr and Mrs Granger and welcomed them in his house Ginny and Hermione started making their way down from the bedrooms. Once she recognised the new arrivals she rushed down the stairs and hugged her mother and her father and her mother and father all over again, all the while talking nineteen to the dozen.

Shortly after Mrs Longbottom too arrived and Mrs Weasley was guiding everyone over to the kitchen. Harry remained standing in the hall together with Remus, awaiting the final guest of the day. Mere moments later she arrived, with her wand firmly in one hand and a small bag in the other. She smiled and clearly relaxed her stance when she got sight of Harry and Remus. A small pop gave away the arrival of Winky who took charge of Professor McGonagall's overnight bag while Harry welcomed his Head of House to his home. He also warned her of all the others in the house and excused himself for giving her the extra work seeing the other parents too.

"Nonsense, Mr Potter, I enjoy doing that and I normally never get the chance to. And it shouldn't take all that long anyway."

After Remus too said his "Hello" he invited Professor McGonagall to the kitchen, and Harry walking behind her nearly ran into her as she stopped dead still in the kitchen door. Obviously she liked what she saw because Harry was certain he heard her say "Merlin!" before she snapped out of her surprise and continued into the room. While his Head of House said her hellos to all in the room Harry noticed the saucer like eyes on Hermione's parents and realised they would not get to see magic very often. He would have to check with Hermione soon to find out if she'd told them about ghosts to warn them ahead of time when Mr Black would make an appearance.

After a loud but enjoyable lunch Remus showed Professor McGonagall up to her room so she could retrieve the letters she'd brought over. Harry noticed Hermione had calmed down considerably but a twinkle in Professor Dumbledore's eyes explained a lot. He'd probably cast a mild calming charm on her. Taking the opportunity he enquired with Hermione about the ghost situation and was relieved to find out they had been told but Hermione added she wasn't sure they had really taken that fact in.

Professor McGonagall and Remus made it back into the kitchen and suddenly the tension augmented considerably. Handing out the envelopes she started to their astonishment with the twins. As she continued to hand out envelopes Harry looked on in amusement as for once the twins seemed speechless and were in the process of doing a good 'fish on dry land' impression.

Harry wasn't too concerned as he opened his letter. His grades might not be exceedingly good but he was sure to pass the most important classes.

Results Ordinary Wizarding Level

Passing Grades : Outstanding (O) ; Exceeds Expectations (E) ; Acceptable (A)

Failing Grades : Poor (P) ; Dreadful (D) ; Troll (T)

Harry James Potter has achieved :

Astronomy – **A**

Care of Magical Creatures – **E**

Charms – **E**

Defence Against the Dark Arts – **O+ **(1)

Divination – **P**

Herbology – **E**

History of Magic – **D**

Potions – **E**

Transfiguration - **E**

For achievements far above set norm and a demonstration of passion for the subject, a second OWL will be added to your score.

Congratulation on your score of 8 OWLs.

Please refer to following parchment for the list of classes available.

"Wow !" was all Harry could think of, before rereading the page. Remus had moved to stand behind Harry and had obviously read the results along with Harry. He placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and gave him a squeeze. "Well done Harry".

Harry looked up at Remus with a smile and then looked at the others and saw Ron with a beaming smile, Neville had an expression of disbelief on his face and Hermione looked disappointed.

"So Ron did real good, Neville has a surprise score and Hermione did not so good on one or other as she hoped." Harry thought to himself before returning to the second page in his letter.

Dear Mr Potter,

Your OWL scores make following subjects eligible for your upcoming year :

NEWT level :

 Care of Magical Creatures - 3 hrs

 Charms - 3 hrs

 Defence Against the Dark Arts - 3 hrs

 Healing - 3 hrs

 Herbology - 2 hrs

 Potions - 3 hrs

 Transfiguration - 3 hrs

 Wizarding Society - 3 hrs (a)

 Wizarding Sports : Law and Order - 3 hrs

Other available Classes (OWL level or below)

 Ancient Runes - 2 hrs

 Arithmancy - 2 hrs

 Basic Healing - 2 hrs

 Care of Magical Creatures - 1 hr

 Introduction to Wizarding Society - 1 hr (a)

 Muggle Studies – 2 hrs

Study Groups (b)

 Arts

 Astronomy

 Charms Club

 Chess Society

 Current Affairs Society

 Defence Association

 Duelling Club

 Gobstones Club

 Muggle Studies

 Readers' Society

Please tick the boxes of the subjects you wish to continue with and return the completed form by 31 July. The following page will reflect the required booklist based upon your choices and will include a list of extra reading material for an in-depth study.

The new school year will start on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, Platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock.

Yours sincerely

Professor M McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

"Introduction to Wizarding Society" is Mandatory for all 6th and 7th year students but can be replaced by the NEWT level "Wizarding Society"

Study Groups : Inter-house groups (mainly 6th and 7th years but younger students are accepted) meeting after dinner on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis. These might be cancelled if interest is too low. Participation will be confirmed by the second week of classes at the latest.

Harry turned to the third page and all he saw there was :

Booklist for Harry James Potter

No choices have been made as yet

Harry turned back to his list of subjects and still couldn't believe that Potions was included in his NEWT classes list. He also wondered if the Defence Association mentioned in the Study Groups was actually the DA. That would be a hoot ! Still smiling he looked up again to see what the others had to say. Mrs Weasley was crying and smiling at the same time and the twins were sporting a goofy grin on their faces. Ron was obviously chuffed and both Neville and his gran looked relieved and proud. Harry caught Ginny's eyes and she mimed "I'm not a prefect" at him with a big grin. Harry smiled back at her before he wiped his forehead and mimed back "Thank Merlin". It was Ginny's loud guffaw that had everyone start talking at once and Harry couldn't make anything out of it all so he just sat back and enjoyed the moment. Mere moments later they'd calmed down enough and Harry asked "And, Ron ?"

"Failed Astronomy and History but somehow managed Divination. I've got 7 OWLs."

"That's brilliant, well done."

"And Hermione, is it eleven straight O's for you ?"

Hermione looked like she could cry when she said : "No, I have only an E for Astronomy. I just don't know what I did wrong. It's dreadful."

"But that's still good Hermione, and you most likely only made a mistake because you were distracted. I'm sure you'd have gotten an O if it hadn't been for Umbridge and her cohorts."

"You think so, Harry ?"

"Oh Hermione, I'm absolutely positive you'd have gotten an O otherwise."

She managed a smile when she thanked Harry.

"And you Neville, how did you do ?"

"I have seven OWLs and an O+."

"Well done Neville. That O+ must be for Herbology, am I right ?"

"Yeah, the professor was impressed with my mimbulus mimbletonia. Said not many people can look after them properly."

"That's right. You've the greenest fingers of anyone I know."

Harry saw Mrs Longbottom stare confused at Neville's fingers and was quick to explain.

"I'm sorry Mrs Longbottom. Having green fingers is a muggle expression to indicate someone who has a way with plants. Just like Neville."

"You had me wondering there for a moment, Harry. Smart way to express it though. And you're right. Neville does have a way with plants. He has that from his mum."

"I do ?" came Neville's surprised question.

"Oh yes. All the plants at home are the ones your mum had around your home. It's too bad the hospital won't allow them in their room. They both loved plants a lot."

Neville looked like he'd gotten fifteen years worth of Christmas and birthday presents in one go. His gran noticed and apologised to her grandson for not telling him more about them.

Harry diverted the attention away from the two by asking the twins : "Gred, Forge, what happened guys. Did they offer you Special Awards for Services to the School for re-decorating ?"

The two looked up in astonishment and asked in perfect sync : "How did you know ?"

Harry laughed, sure they were having him back but was surprised to see Mrs Weasley look really proud.

"The Board has also granted us a five year period in which we can enter the NEWT exams we missed out on. Normally we would have had only one year to restudy all the subjects, but now we could spread them out a bit. We weren't going to bother but now we will take our NEWTs after all." explained George.

"Right," said Fred, "not to mention the generations of Hogwarts students to come who will have to polish – without magic – our Award plaques for their detention.

This made everyone grin widely.

"And you Harry, what did you have ?" asked Ginny.

"I have eight but failed divination and History." replied Harry.

To which Remus quickly added with clear pride in his voice "Not to mention his O+ in Defence."

"Because you taught me the Patronus in third year, Remus. That's what impressed the professor to no end." said a pink-cheeked Harry making Remus blush at the returned praise.

It was Professor Dumbledore's "I believe you have all done well." that steered the conversation to the point where Harry finally admitted "I know that the most polite thing would be for me to let all you talk over your results with Professor McGonagall first, but there is something I'd like to ask and inquire about that just might influence things for all of you, so I hope you'll forgive me this breech of cordiality."

"It's quite all right Harry," said Mrs Longbottom, "under normal circumstances we would not have been given the chance to talk to a professor at all."

"As a matter of fact I'd like a word too, Harry, before you plan your class schedule with Professor McGonagall. I too have a question for you that might influence your decisions." said Professor Dumbledore.

Harry nodded, wondering what the headmaster might want to ask. The three of them stood to go to the library and Harry saw Remus looking unsure what to do.

"Will you come too, Remus ? I might your fatherly advice at some point I'm sure." Remus was quick to follow them out of the kitchen and they installed themselves in the comfortable seats at one end of the library.

"Before we start, could you tell me if the Defence Association I saw mentioned in the Study Groups is actually our DA ?" asked Harry.

Professor Dumbledore was the one to answer.

"How nice of you Harry, to start with the reason I wanted to speak to you. Yes indeed, that would be your DA. The Study Groups section of the letter you just received is something that is automatically added by the magic surrounding Hogwarts. It will list all the groups that have been active in the past ten years. The duelling club would be a remnant from your second year when Professor Lockhart was going to introduce you to duelling. But there is also a group of students, friends from before Hogwarts actually who learned to play a musical instrument and who have met on a regular basis for the four years they've been at Hogwarts. Since you started the DA before Dolores forbade these groups it was also added to that list.

Now to the reason why I wanted to speak to you Harry. I met with the Board yesterday to discuss this year's overall results and they had a question for me regarding the discrepancies in grades. It seems that the grades for DADA have reached an all time low with most students barely passing. But very strangely, scattered among three houses and several years there is a group that has gained the high scores of O and E's, including even someone with an O+ and they wanted to know how that was possible. So I told them about Umbridge's policy and your DA group. They were shocked at Dolores' approach and simply raved about your DA. It is on their behalf Harry, as much as my own that I want to ask you to continue the DA and even expand it. All students could do with some extra tutoring in Defence and I had in mind to open it to second years and up."

Harry's eyes widened ever further at what the headmaster was asking. He started shaking his head at the impossibility of the whole idea. Too many students with too wide a variety in expertise …

Professor Dumbledore stopped at the movement of Harry's head. "You don't want to do it, Harry ?"

"No, I mean, yes, I mean … Sorry Professor but it wouldn't work with all those students together. We'd need a few instructors for the second and third years alone. No offence but apart from Remus and maybe Moody alias Crouch we've not had the best teachers for DADA. And those in last year's DA would be quickly bored with the rest of the students, so you'd look at at least three different sessions. And even then you have the potential problem that there would be too many students in the two new groups. And what will the new DADA teacher say when he, ehm, or she finds out that a student is teaching alongside him or her ?"

"Well, Harry, I can already tell you that the DADA teacher will be very happy you are willing to help her and she in turn will help you by keeping you up to date on what they are learning in classes. And splitting up the group into three will be very good. I don't think all students will want to participate in what is effectively an extra curricular activity anyway. So you'll work mainly with highly motivated students Harry. The question is do you want to sacrifice six or seven hours on top of your own schoolwork every week to teach them. Think it over Harry and talk to your friends and even the old DA members. You have until mid-September to decide and I'll keep you informed of the amount of students that actually sign up from 6th and 7th year when they return their letters. I can also tell you Harry that if you do accept it the Board would be open to any unusual requests you might have for your own education."

Harry looked up at that statement. Did Professor Dumbledore suspect what he wanted to ask ?

"How much control would I, and the rest of the group, have on who to accept into the DA or would everybody that registers automatically have to be accepted ? There are a few students I would not trust."

"The beauty of these groups, Harry, lies in the fact that they are to all intents and purposes organised by the students themselves, and unless the students would ask for help the teachers would not interfere with the running of them. And since the DADA teacher is wild about the idea, she'll offer her help regardless leaving you still in control. As I said, Harry think it over, you don't have to decide right this moment. As you know the letters need to be returned to us by 31 July, so I'll let you know who has signed up within the week following."

"OK Sir, I'll talk it over with my friends and will keep you informed as well on any developments that might occur."

During this whole conversation neither Remus nor Professor McGonagall had spoken but now his Head of House clearly wanted to say something.

"Professor McGonagall ?"

"Oh dear ! Harry, after this conversation I'm not sure how you'll receive this bit. You see, I wanted to talk to you about Quidditch. You know Gryffindor needs a new captain again, and Katie Bell indicated at the end of term that she wanted to concentrate on her NEWTs. She'll play but did not want the extra work of being captain. That leaves you Harry as longest standing team member."

"But Professor, don't you want the best for captain, rather than the one with the most years in the team ? Yes, I'll agree I would love to be captain but I'd be no good at it. I'm a good Seeker but I don't know enough about strategies for the team or the other positions. And remember, I have a lifetime ban on Quidditch. I'm not even part of the team for the moment. And even if I was I would suggest you give captaincy to Ron. He lives and breathes Quidditch. He'll be as good as Oliver Wood if not better."

Professor McGonagall visibly relaxed as Harry talked.

"Thank you Harry. I had no idea that Professor Dumbledore was going to suggest you running the DA on such a large scale. And just for the record, you'll do a marvellous job and I'll help you any way I can if you accept the task. But I feared after that conversation with the headmaster you might have taken my decision to indeed award captaincy to Mr Weasley as a way to manipulate you into a decision."

"So you already decided that Ron would be a good Captain ?", asked Harry. Upon her nod, he beamed and said "I think that it might be just what Ron needs to take his studying a bit more serious."

"Harry, I must admit I'm terribly curious to find out what you wanted to talk to Professor McGonagall about. Would you mind ?" came Remus with an apologising air.

Harry smiled at the unusual curious behaviour of Remus and started with his explanation.

"I wanted to ask you Professor McGonagall, about the possibility of home study and if it could be combined with studying at Hogwarts. I've looked in the Black library but the only references I can find deal with either pre- or post-Hogwarts education. I wanted to find out about it because I was convinced I would not make it to Professor Snape's NEWT classes. I saw that it was mentioned, so either you have found another Potions teacher or you have been able to wangle me on the list, but I'd still like to know about home schooling.

I'm sorry Professor Dumbledore, I know you trust him, but in the past five years Professor Snape has not given me many reasons why I should trust, like or even respect him. I understand he may be important to the Order, but as far as I'm concerned, I would prefer it to never have to deal with him again."

"I understand Harry, and can respect your viewpoint. What did you have in mind that would also involve your friends ?"

"Well I, or I should say, we have met another Potions Master, who already does some tutoring. I would like to hire him if he's willing, to tutor both my friends and me. Preferably that would happen during the school year, on a weekly basis, like regular classes, but if not, I'm sure that we could spend parts of our holidays studying like we do now. In any case, I've not yet suggested this to either my friends or Mr Teague, but no matter what the outcome is, I'll not be taking Potions with Professor Snape."

Harry looked at Remus and was relieved when he nodded and smiled at Harry. Professor McGonagall looked pensive but Professor Dumbledore also sported a smile and his eyes were twinkling at him.

"I suspected you would suggest something like that Harry ever since you introduced Mr Teague two weeks ago. And when I talked to him yesterday I discovered he not only knows and loves Potions but he will make a great teacher. I also looked up different possibilities. The Hogwarts Board normally does not allow for students to bring along their private tutors. But sometimes exceptions need to be made. I found reference to a case where a fourteen year old became Head of his Family and was actually declared 'of age'. He too had an honorary guardian and it was decided that he would receive additional classes in Estate Management. As Hogwarts does not provide these classes they were allowed to bring in a personal tutor.

I can bring up these circumstances and in view of your majority next year and second estate you'll need to manage then, I'm sure you'd get permission, with or without the DA job. Only restriction I can see them placing on the scheme would be that they request these extra classes to take place in the weekend so no one could claim favouritism with regard to the other class schedules. Once the Board agrees to your 'home tutoring' you can invite whomever you want to join you in these private sessions.

I'll return to Hogwarts and prepare your case. If you could contact Mr Teague and ask if he's interested in the job, that would be helpful. Should he decline your offer I know someone else who will be a great Potions teacher for you and I'm confident you'll like him too. Anyway, we have nine days to organise this as your class list needs to arrive by the 31st . You can inform your friends about this Harry. We'll find a solution no matter what the Board decides. I'll leave you to finish this conversation unless you have more questions for me, Harry ?"

"No Sir, Professor McGonagall and Remus will be able to help me with the remainder of my questions. Thank you for your help and consideration."

Professor Dumbledore said his goodbye and stepped out of the room. Professor McGonagall was looking at Harry with something close to pride and when she spoke Harry was surprised at her affectionate tone.

"When Professor Dumbledore told me you were doing well Harry I had my usual doubts but I must admit that I'm impressed with you. At the same time you leave me puzzled. You were so angry and depressed by the end of term. What happened to make you so happy in such a short time ?"

"I have had tremendous help, Professor. In fact I'd like you to meet someone later. He's been an inspiration to me in more ways than one."

"Very well, Harry. Do you have an idea of which courses you'd like to take ?"

"I do, but I believe I'll have to change a few. I had in mind to continue the DA anyway, only on a less grand scale. I wanted to continue with Charms, DADA, Herbology, Transfiguration and Care of Magical Creatures and I liked the idea of Healing. But I was also recommended to take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy."

"Yes, I was disappointed when you took Divination in stead. Even only Runes or Arithmancy would have been so much more interesting."

"I agree up to a point, Professor, but at the time I think Ron and I were unconsciously trying to hold on to our childhood years. And I think I especially will appreciate the study more now than back in Third year."

Professor McGonagall smiled at Harry's last statement and nodded. "You could be correct Harry about both assessments. And it is also true that you have too much on your plate with all the NEWT classes you mentioned. But if you were to choose the OWL level studies for say Care and Healing I believe that your schedule would be workable then. What about the Wizarding Society class ? Which do you prefer ?"

"I don't know professor, I have no idea what that class is all about. Is it the reverse of Muggle Studies ?"

"In a way it is. The introductory course will give you a general overview of rules, regulations, things like traditions, the workings of the Ministry and the power the Minister holds. It is very basic but most students opt for this version. I believe that most, even the pureblood students, would be better prepared if they had bothered to take the full course. A lot of the times however, those that do opt for the full version find themselves in a class of five or even fewer students and thus get a more personal approach to the course than would be usual. Several alumni have told me they enjoyed the class immensely and that they did not regret the extra two hours a week."

"Would it cover something like Estate Management ?"

"It does so to some extent in 7th year but can be addressed in 6th if there are not too many students in the class."

"OK so if I was to take NEWT Charms, DADA, Herbology, Transfiguration and Wizarding Society and the OWL level Runes, Arithmancy, Basic Healing and Care, that should leave me the time to do three sets of DA. With some of the old hands to help out with the two other sessions, and the assistance from teachers it would be workable. Don't you think ?"

"Harry, NEWT studies involve a lot of self studying so you'll need to be disciplined to keep up with your work. A lot of students find themselves suddenly overwhelmed with background reading, essays and summaries on top of the other work and sometimes even crack under the pressure. If you keep an open mind with regard to both those extra Potions classes and DA sessions and arrange to have a free week every now and then should the schedule be too much, than I believe you can handle it, including Quidditch and the DA."

"Thank you Remus, you think so ?"

"Harry, I saw how you worked on that Patronus, back in your third year. If you really want something you go for it even if it is hard and tiring work. So yes I know so. All I would ask of you, Harry, is for you to ask for help should it become too much anyway. It might be that you just need a break for a few days to recharge your inner batteries but if left ignored would lead to serious harm."

"I promise, Remus, I will. If anything that's what I learned from last year's fiasco. And I now have a much stronger support, don't I. I can send Sirius to haunt the bad guys !"

Harry had an impish smile on his face and Remus' only retort was a playful slap to Harry's head.

"All right gentlemen, that will do ! If you have no further questions, please leave this room and send in the next student." Said a smiling Professor McGonagall.

"Actually, professor, there was something else. Do you know what happened to my Firebolt ?"

"I knew I'd forgotten something in between all your jokes. It is currently residing in my office. When Madame Hooch returns in two weeks I wanted to ask her to run a thorough check on it. If you can handle not having it back until you return you'll be sure it's jinx free and well cared for."

"That will do fine, Professor. I have another question. I know Mr Malfoy bought brand new brooms for the entire Slytherin team. Do you think that if a Gryffindor alumni were to offer purchasing brooms for both the House and reserve team that it would be accepted ?"

"That would be most generous and very smart thinking. And yes, a gift like that would be more than accepted."

"Thank you Professor McGonagall, for your help and advice. I'll keep in mind your offer of assistance to the DA. I'll go and tell them about the Potions classes before I send in the next; that should cut the explanations a bit on your end. Would you like something to drink while you wait ?"

"Ooh, a cup of tea would be wonderful Harry."

No sooner had she finished speaking and with a soft pop Dobby appeared with a full tea tray.

"Thank you Dobby. One of these days you really have to tell me how you keep doing that. It's brilliant."

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

Have a nice weekend all.

kadedeetje


	16. Chapter 15

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - -

**15 Spreading the good tidings**

Remus and Harry left Professor McGonagall to enjoy her tea and went in search of the others. They found Mrs Longbottom and Neville in the kitchen and Harry told them about his question regarding the Potions class. When Neville heard that he'd be dealing with Mr Teague or someone other than Snape for Potions he looked like the weight of the world fell off him.

"If that could be arranged, I could take Healing anyway, gran. You know I'd love to do that above all other. Please say you'll let me ?"

"Yes, Neville you may. I was worried about Potions for you but if Mr Teague will accept Harry's offer, you can join him and pursue Healing. All I'd like to ask you, Neville is to also take the NEWT in Wizarding Society."

"That makes two of us then, I'm registering for that class too. Professor McGonagall said not too many students bother with the full course and it did sound interesting."

With Neville in a much better mood, he and his gran were off to the library to speak with Professor McGonagall. Harry and Remus went looking for the others and found them all in the living room. Mrs Granger and Mrs Weasley were talking about wizarding life, Ginny and Hermione were discussing the OWL exams and the twins were watching Ron play a game of chess against Mr Granger. When they noticed Harry and Remus were in the room all eyes were quickly trained on the two. As Harry had expected it was Hermione who was quickest to ask "So Harry, what was so important you needed to speak to Professor McGonagall first ?"

"I wanted to find out if studying at Hogwarts could be combined with home study or private tutoring. I was pretty sure I'd never make it to Snape's NEWT potions classes and that's a requirement for auror studies. Unfortunately Professor Dumbledore told me that Hogwarts will not allow that."

Harry saw the expected emotions flitting across the student faces in front of him. Both Ginny and Ron were looking happier as he explained, but looked crestfallen at the latest news. Hermione on the other hand had a slight rebellious look about her and was a little relieved at the bad news so far. So Harry was quick to continue with his news.

"On the other hand a personal tutor might just be allowed due to the unusual circumstances of me being both a minor and considered of age at the same time. What my tutor then ends up teaching me is of no one's concern. And I can also invite anyone I like to join me for those classes."

Ron was the most vocal of the group, whooping at the idea of not having to deal with Snape but still able to take Potions should he decide to continue with Auror classes.

"Do you have anyone in mind for these classes, Harry ?" asked a hopeful Ron.

"Well, Mr Teague is a Potions Master and already does some tutoring so I was going to ask him."

"Ooo, Harry, please say I can join too ? It would be so good to have Mr Teague for Potions this year, rather than Snape. Please say I can ?" pleaded Ginny.

Harry smiled at her and than looked at Mrs Weasley, the question clear on his face. She was smiling and nodded her approval at the plans.

"Hold your horses, Ginny, you might not be so keen anymore should Mr Teague decline my offer. Professor Dumbledore has a reserve for us in mind, but you might prefer Snape over the mysterious alternative. Why don't you wait for a few days until you know for certain who the teacher will be before you decide."

"Honestly, Harry, do you think that there could be an even worse teacher at Potions than Snape ?" laughed Ginny.

Harry chuckled at the idea.

"Well, before I go off writing my letter begging Mr Teague to teach us Potions, there was also the other issue that Professor Dumbledore threw at me. Tell me Hermione, did you notice the list of Study Groups mentioned in the second letter ?"

"The one with Art and Duelling on ? Yes I did, but I'm not taking any of those. I'll need my time for more important things."

"You're not ! That's a shame because I was about to ask you for your help running one of these Study Groups again."

"Again, what are you talking about … ooh, you mean the Defence Association is actually us, the DA ?"

"Yep, and we've been asked to continue this year, expand it to allow students from second year up. There would be three sessions, one for 2nd and 3rd years, another for new recruits and one for the DA members of last year. The DADA teacher is enthusiastic about the idea and will help any way possible."

"But Harry, won't that be an enormous amount of extra work ?"

"Not really, Hermione. For the youngest group I think it will be mainly an opportunity to give them a bit of additional practice time. After all they have a year's worth of studying to catch up. And that will be mainly basic stuff. And we can start with a revision for the middle group and then do what we did for the original DA last year. The only extra work we'll have is for the old DA where we'll need to come up with new material. I was thinking to ask the DA for help with the new sessions though. If two or three of them would assist per session then it would mean one extra session per month for the old DA members. Both the DADA teacher and Professor McGonagall have promised their assistance and I'm positive that Remus might be persuaded to give us a few helpful tips, as will Tonks and Mad-Eye, I'm sure."

Harry was now looking at Remus trying to see what the last Marauder was thinking of the idea and saw the man's eyes light up at the idea. Remus' words were just the confirmation Harry needed.

"What do you think I've been doing in those DADA practices, guys. We have six more weeks before school starts again, so I'll make sure you have enough material to fill two weekly sessions for the Advanced DA."

Ron and Ginny were both looking amused and eager but Hermione looked doubtful so Harry continued.

"Hermione, I know how important the next two years of education are and I for one intend to do my utmost to keep up with work and get decent grades. And I already promised both Remus and Professor McGonagall that if things become too much I'll be flexible towards those extra DA classes and even the Potions classes. But I won't forget to have some fun too, Hermione, after all we all need to live a bit ! And for your information, Professor Dumbledore saw this coming ages ago and is in full support !"

Harry turned to leave the room and said while walking out :

"Neville and his gran are in with Professor McGonagall now. Could anyone fill him in on the DA ? He's already aware of the Potions situation. Wish me luck with my letter to Mr Teague."

"I'll come and help, Harry, after we've spoken to Professor McGonagall, OK ?" suggested Ginny.

"Ehm, Harry, maybe we could all sign the letter ?" came from Hermione.

"I'll get the parchment and quills and come back down and we can write the letter together and all sign it, will that do ?" smiled Harry.

The next hour they spent compiling a first draft letter to Mr Teague. Halfway through the letter Ron and his mum disappeared and Neville joined them. Harry brought him up-to-date with the latest news and also told the others they could expect a deliriously happy Ron, the latest Gryffindor Quidditch captain when his talk was over.

After Ron's earlier suggestion to write "Dear Mr Teague, Please save us from Snape and teach us potions.", they agreed the finished letter was much better.

Dear Mr Teague,

Today our Head of Gryffindor House and Deputy Headmistress, Professor McGonagall delivered our OWL results. We are all very pleased with our marks and are looking forward to our future education (there's an interesting new mix of subjects available to us this year.)

However, as I mentioned to you on your first visit we have one subject that we are less enamoured with and that is Potions. Our teacher at Hogwarts is a very good Potions Master but according to most of his students lacks the teaching skills. I have discussed with our Headmaster, our Head of House, my guardian and the other students here the possibility of changing teacher.

Would you be willing and able to teach my friends and me ? These lessons would have to take place at Hogwarts, once a week and to avoid too much grumbling from other teachers, students or parents, scheduled either on Saturday or Sunday (preferably mornings). The regular 6th year Potions course states 3 hrs of classes per week.

For your information there would be five students for sure and maybe a sixth one should she so wish. There would four sixth year students (Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom and myself) and Ginny Weasley is a fifth year student preparing for the OWL exams in June next year (as is our friend Luna Lovegood, whom you've not yet met).

Although there is no need to hurry your decision (our class list needs to be returned to Hogwarts by 31 July only) your hopefully future students eagerly await your decision.

Looking forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience,

Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley

When all his friends but Harry had signed the letter, Harry added a little PS to the letter.

PS I enquired after the going rate for a private tutor and heard from different knowledgeable sources that it would be 15 Sickles per hour per student. I would like to offer one Galleon to compensate for the difficulty in having to teach two grades and the inconvenience to teaching during the weekend. If my calculations are correct (4 weeks/month, 3 hrs a week, 5 or 6 students) this would make a monthly fee of either 60 or 72 Galleons.

Knowing the four men lived close to the estate border Harry happily sent Hedwig off with the letter so she wouldn't feel left out and wished her a safe trip. After all she was a very noticeable owl and after last year's injury Harry was feeling very protective of her.

Contrary to Harry's earlier comment they'd face an exuberant Ron, the youngest Weasley son was subdued after his talk to Professor McGonagall. When Neville inquired about Ron's final subject choices he perked up a bit explaining he'd chosen Law and Order in Wizarding Sports as an additional NEWT in view of a possible auror career now that he'd be able to take potions classes away from Snape.

When Harry made the semi casual remark that the NEWT was also a good choice now Ron was both Quidditch keeper and Captain and it would open up another career path for him, Ron looked up surprised and asked :

"You knew ?"

"The reason the badge and nomination wasn't included in your OWL results, was because Professor McGonagall wanted to explain to me she'd chosen for competence before years on the team. I honestly am happy she chose you, Ron. I won't lie to you. Of course I would have loved being captain, but you know better even than I myself, that I know too little of the game to be a good captain. You'll do great. Congratulations !"

Harry's words clearly lifted a heavy burden off Ron's mind and true to Harry's earlier words Ron was bouncing around in gleeful anticipation for quite some time.

The talks with Professor McGonagall had taken slightly longer than planned so it was decided to skip what would be a very late tea but opt for an earlier dinner instead. Harry took this opportunity to tell Professor McGonagall about his unusual summer, the dreams of Sirius, Remus joining him in those dreams too and the warm feeling and his parents' voices. He told her of arriving at the manor and the first shock at meeting the resident ghost. As the two of them were again seated in the library, Mr Black made his appearance at just the right moment.

"Mr Black ?" came the very wobbly voice of his Head of House.

"Yes and no, Professor McGonagall. This is the ghost of Sirius Black who died three hundred years ago. In the last generations the Black family motto has been seriously misinterpreted and he was the last true Light of Heart Black. It is thanks to his Inheritance Charms that I came to be here."

Harry went on explaining the Amor spell and the consequences they'd found out so far.

"So you see, Professor, what with these powerful wards, knowing I don't have to worry, and feeling very rested even if I do visit with Remus and Sirius in some strange way and having fun for the first time in long, I'm really doing well. The house elves are providing us with plenty of delicious food and snacks and we're learning new things and even get to practice our DADA. We get to play Quidditch without fear of being seen and are swimming to our heart's content. This is the best summer ever !"

"Yes, Harry, I can see that you are doing well and I'm very happy for you. I realise life hasn't been kind to you before so if anyone deserves this it's you."

Professor McGonagall shook her head slightly and smiled at Harry. "Now that's enough of Auntie Minnie speaking, I'll best revert back to being your Head of House before you get too used to it. Mr Potter, you better work hard this year so that I don't regret telling you this. The reason you got on the NEWT Potions list was that Professor Snape had to lower his standards. Hermione and Justin Finch-Fletchely were the only students to achieve an O grade and the Board decided that it was a ridiculous demand to start with."

Harry tried to hide a grin but failed miserably and found to his amusement that Professor McGonagall too couldn't stop smiling. That's when Dobby popped in to announce dinner was served and the two made their way to the kitchen. Harry invited Professor McGonagall to drop by as much as she wanted over the summer as he pointed to a book he knew she had wanted to consult for some time.

"Mr Potter, thank you for the invitation. You can be sure I'll drop by over the summer. I've already spotted a few other books as well that I'd like a look at."

Despite the late change in their schedule the house elves served a brilliant dinner and every one was in high spirits after the OWL results and the talk of future plans. They'd finished their meal but were still sitting at the table when a regal looking and very tall owl came swooping through one of the large glass panes and landed in front of Harry. The letter it carried had the Gringotts seal so Harry took the letter from the owl and Dobby came to take the owl for a quick snack and drink before it returned to Diagon Alley.

Dear Mr Potter

Both Wednesday and Thursday are fine provided you arrive before 7:30 am at Gringotts Bank. Business at that time of day is still slow so your arrival will pose no problem.

Looking forward to making your acquaintance.

Yours sincerely

Schmegg

Head Goblin

Gringotts

Harry was finished reading the note and said :"I can go to Gringotts either Wednesday or Thursday morning, so whatever suits you guys best. I have some serious shopping to do though so don't forget to pack your walking shoes !".

"Pack, Harry ? What do you mean ?" Neville asked.

"Drats, I knew there was something I didn't tell you yet. Sorry guys, but you see, this place is so protective that if the owner isn't at home no one can stay. If I go to another Black residence, you'll all simply travel along with me but if I were to leave at 7 o'clock for Gringotts you would all end up Merlin knows where. Before you came, Remus and I were in the kitchen and since I'd finished I thought about visiting another home of mine and decided to pop over, only poor Remus here, in the middle of his breakfast, ended joining me. The only exception to that would be Grimmauld Place as the Order now has its official HQ there and so we move for the night, I go to Gringotts at the crack of dawn and you'll all be able to sleep in. Once I'm done at Gringotts I'll pop back there and we'll all return to Diagon Alley for some heavy shopping. We'll do that either on Wednesday or Thursday when Diagon Alley will not be too crowded and dangerous."

"What will we do if Mr Teague hasn't decided yet whether or not he'll teach Potions by then Harry ?" asked a still concerned Hermione.

"Good point Hermione." Came from a pondering Harry. "Professor McGonagall, can you first tick a subject and then remove the tick again ? If so, we could indicate NEWT Potions, note down the books required and get them anyway, and then remove the tick from the box. That way we'll have the title of the book handy. And if we don't get all the books upon this shopping day, we can always return later."

"Yes, Mr Potter, you can tick a box and remove it afterwards. And from what I've heard of Mr Teague, you'll not have to wait that long for your answer, as I believe Mr Teague is actually walking this way now."

"What ?" came from several sides and as one the students turned towards the garden to look outside, a hopeful expression clearly visible on all faces. Professor McGonagall was amused to see the rapidly changing emotions playing on her favourite Gryffindor student's face.

And indeed, there came the quickly approaching Mr Teague and Harry scrambled to his feet in an attempt to reach the door in time to allow the man inside.

It wasn't until right that moment that Harry understood himself how much he really wanted Mr Teague to say yes to his offer. Barely able to cling to his propriety he managed to introduce Mr Teague to his Head of House and Hermione's parents, but only just, before blurting out "And ? Will you be our teacher, Mr Teague ?"

With five eager faces looking on, Mr Teague gave a slight smile and said : "Well, seeing as you're all so enthusiastic, yes, I'll teach you Potions."

Harry heaved a huge sigh of relief and both Neville and Ron gave a louder expression of their happiness at the news. Remus, the twins and Mr Weasley were all grinning and even Professor McGonagall sported a small smile.

Mr Teague spoke up again.

"I wanted to know your level of studies, so does anyone have their notes and the books you've used of the past four or five years. I'll get them back for you within the week and we can discuss the practicalities for the classes then. Will that do ?"

"That is fine, sir," said Harry, "but would you have an idea for a course book yet ? We were planning to go shopping for our school supplies later this week. If you have a strong preference we could already get it along with the rest. But if you prefer to wait before you decide on a book, that's fine too. And I have all my books and notes here, including all my homework. I'll be back in a moment."

As Ginny had brought her notes and books too, having packed them thinking she'd end up in Grimmauld Place for another miserable summer, the two of them made their way up to their rooms and returned to the kitchen shortly after both laden with a pile of course books and notes.

Mr Teague took a quick look at the two sets of course books and returned Ginny's as they were identical to those Harry had. Dobby provided him with a weight-reducing bag and Mr Teague left after promising to provide them with the title of the book or books he would like them to use in the next two years by tea time tomorrow. After sending Lily to Professor Dumbledore with a note giving the positive outcome of Harry's question the seven youngest residents of Black Manor remained in the kitchen while the elders went off for the comfort of the sitting room.

When Mr Black, duly informed of Mr Teague's decision to teach them, came into the kitchen several minutes later, he found the seven still sitting at the table, all silent and with a silly grin on their faces. His appearance in the kitchen seemed to bring them out of their daydreaming haze and Ron voiced their sentiments when he said "I did not dream that, did I guys ? Mr Teague has just agreed to teach us potions, didn't he ? It's going to be brilliant not having to deal with Snape anymore !"

- - - - -

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

Have a nice weekend all.

kadedeetje


	17. Chapter 16

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - -

**16 A first look at what's to come**

The five students remained in an ebullient mood for the rest of the evening, aided by the twins who regaled them with stories of their early years and classes with the potions master and the many mishaps they encountered along the way. Especially their second year turned out to be filled with many potions accidents, as the classes were scheduled first thing on Monday morning and many a student hardly awake enough to keep a good eye on the ingredients and the correct procedures to use them. Hermione however had the twins in stitches when she recounted her favourite Snape moment from third year DADA classes on boggarts, when Neville's worst fear turned out to be Snape and the counter curse had him dressed in those ridiculous clothes.

Soon enough he twins started talking of other classes and teachers and recounting some of the things that had happened like the time one of their classmates from Hufflepuff had set fire to his parchments by mispronouncing a spell, and the equally disastrous results when Lee Jordan tried to extinguish that fire by spouting water from his wand, only to end up flooding the entire room and part of the hallway before the teacher could cast the counter spell.

It wasn't until Fred started telling them how they'd gotten an idea for some or other joke that out of nowhere another joke was born, only for the twins to suddenly realize that come September they wouldn't in fact be returning to Hogwarts.

Mrs Weasley arrived in the kitchen just in time to stop the mood plummeting like a ton of bricks only to send them all off to bed seeing it was gone midnight. After wishing the grown ups a pleasant night they all made their way up to their rooms.

Harry had just installed himself under his bedding when Remus poked his head round the door. Seeing the lights still on he stepped in the room and made his way to Harry's bedside. "Hey Harry," he said, "I just wanted to let you know that my friend the solicitor, Paul Watkins, is already booked up for Thursday, but can meet us any time on Wednesday. I've already told Mad-Eye and Tonks we'll be out and about then so they can discreetly plan for some extra people to be around Diagon Alley from late morning onwards. It does mean we'll need to move to Grimmauld Place tomorrow evening."

"That's OK and thanks for arranging some protection. Hopefully by going before the real school supply rush there won't be trouble this time. I'm looking forward to going back to Diagon Alley. It's been quite a while since I was allowed to go along."

"We'll arrange the rest tomorrow, Harry. Good night and sweet dreams."

"Night, Moony and you too."

After another night spent on the couch with Sirius listening to and telling Hogwarts stories, Harry woke up refreshed at his usual early hour. Since it was too early even to take his daily swim with Ginny, he made his way outside and was happy to see Joe and David arrive to do a quick tour of the garden.

"Good morning Joe, David."

"Good morning, Harry." the two chorused. "You gave us all quite a shock yesterday. That tutoring offer came as a surprise and I've never seen Elijah move so fast."

Harry was smiling. "To be honest, I'm very grateful to Mr Teague for making his decision so fast and with a positive answer to boot. I'd just seen what waiting for the OWL results did to the others and I'm sure I would have been in a similar sorry state had we had to wait for his decision for a day or two. Not to mention that from a practical point we can now go shopping for all our school supplies and I can arrange payment in person. While on that subject I wanted to talk to you today as I'll be going to the bank too and I wanted to know if 50 galleons a month would be sufficient to compensate for your work in the garden. And would you like that cash or shall I set up an automatic monthly transfer into your accounts ?"

The two men looked shocked and Harry was unsure what to think. Had he insulted them offering too little ? But Joe's comment put his mind at ease as it sounded more like they had not expected to get that much.

"Fifty galleons a month. That's 25 per person. Do you have a goose that lays golden eggs somewhere ? Anyway, we don't own a bank account so cash payments would be nice."

"Eh, Joe, I had fifty in mind per person. Consider it a payment for all the years you've done the work for free. I also have another question for the four of you. My godfather left some money to Remus but he mentioned in the will that should Remus have passed away the money would be mine and added the suggestion that I could then maybe set up a "Moony Memorial Fund" specifically to help other werewolves. I've been thinking about that and it seems to me that the potion you are using would be a better deal than the expensive Wolfsbane potion. My idea was to set up a place where the potion ingredients could be grown, the potion brewed and then provide it for free to the werewolves. It would involve hiring a few people, werewolves and maybe squibs too, to help in growing the ingredients and making the potion. But I realized that I'd need your permission to use the LeBon potion to begin with. I'm sure there's a lot more involved too, and as long as Sirius has not been cleared, it would need to be run on a small scale anyway. Would you mind thinking about this for a bit ? I'll be setting up a Sirius Black Memorial Fund anyway but I could really use your input as it's to be a bit of a surprise for Remus."

"That would be quite something Harry ! I can already let you know you have my vote but we'll talk it over and let you know in the next few days."

"That would be OK. Anyway, we're going up to London at some time late this afternoon and will be gone for a day or two, maybe three. As I said it would have to start on a small scale in any case, as I think you'd not have all the ingredients at hand in vast quantities."

"We'll have a go at looking at timing and requirements for you. When you have the opportunity to talk to us again in a few days or so we can go over plans and needs in more detail then. Let's leave it for now."

"Brilliant, thanks. I'd better get back inside now. I still have to speak to Dobby to arrange our outing of the next days. Bye for now and take care."

"See you Harry and have a good time in London."

Harry returned to the kitchen and found Dobby about to begin preparations for breakfast.

"Good morning Dobby. Do you have a moment before you begin ? There will be some changes to the routine in the next days."

"How can Dobby help Harry, sir ?"

"We are going to London tonight so we can go shopping tomorrow. We need to stay here until at least after tea when Mr Teague will send us the book list he wants us to use, but after that I'll leave it up to you where you want to serve dinner tonight. We'll stay overnight at Grimmauld Place as I will be going to visit Gringotts at seven tomorrow morning. I'd like you to join me there, Dobby, so I can introduce you. After Gringotts, if there's time, Remus and I will visit his friend Mr Watkins and after that we'll have lunch with the others at the Leaky Cauldron followed by some serious shopping. We'll all stay the night at Grimmauld Place and most likely we'll return here some time on Thursday."

"Harry Potter Sir asks Dobby to Gringotts ?"

"Why yes, Dobby. I'm going to arrange it so that both you and Remus can get into the Black vault. It will need clearing and arranging and we wouldn't be able to do it without your help, Dobby."

"Thank you Harry, sir. You is most kind to Dobby."

Just then, Ginny walked into the kitchen, ready for their morning swim and Harry soon joined her in the warm pool water. Harry had come to love these morning swims. He enjoyed the exercise before breakfast but he appreciated Ginny's presence just as much. Seeing her in her bating suit the first time had his hormones going haywire and that had not really changed much with time, after all he was a nearly sixteen year old young man and Ginny was an extremely pretty young witch. But Harry had gotten to know Ginny better and he liked her more every day. Of course, Harry knew she was seeing his Hogwarts roommate Dean and he'd never want to come between them.

The two of them had already had their swim and were nearly finished with breakfast by the time the others joined them. Mr Weasley was running a little late and very grateful for the little snacks and food packs the house elves prepared for him as it now allowed him to be on his way after just drinking a nice cup of tea. Harry reminded Mr Weasley that they would be at Grimmauld Place that evening so he wouldn't be surprised when he ended up in the Tapestry room that evening.

After breakfast Professor McGonagall excused herself to quickly make her way to the library. She would stay until after lunch and had just under four hours to emerge herself in a book she had wanted to get her hands on for the longest time.

In their Defence class with Remus he had them practice their basic shields and stunners, as well as the patronus, in view of their outing the next day. Even if it wasn't quite so difficult to produce a corporeal patronus in these happy and safe circumstances the confidence gained here might just make the difference when confronted with a real dementor.

At lunch time Dobby told Harry the elves had chosen Grimmauld Place to serve dinner so it was decided to leave for the order HQ some time between five and six o'clock, depending on when Mr Teague would provide them with their new potions class book list.

Immediately after lunch Mr Black wanted to talk to Harry, so their plan to fill out their school letters together got postponed by a few minutes.

Harry and Mr Black made it to the study where Mr Black pointed towards a very plain black leather satchel.

"I figured you would appreciate another perk about being head of the Black family. As part of my deal with Flourish & Blotts I was given a book bag. Even in my time they were quite rare and only given out to especially good and trusted customers. Since my death it's been in hands of the family house elves. The book bag looks small but would most likely be able to house the complete stock of books in the shop if you wanted to buy them. It makes shopping there very easy. All you need to do is take it round the shop, fill it with the books you want to buy and at the end, you hand the bag over to the shop clerk, he performs a charm of some sort and the cost of the books is automatically charged to your account. To put the icing on the cake, you also get a rather nice discount."

"That will come in handy tomorrow. Can anyone use it ?"

"That's the only drawback. The only ones who can use it would be the head of the family, that's you Harry, and the family house elves. You already planned to take Dobby along, didn't you ?" Seeing Harry nod Mr Black continued his explanation. "If you take Dobby along and your friends hand their books to either you or him to place them in the bag you'll have no problems. But they cannot place the books in the bags themselves. There's some kind of hex activated in that case."

"OK We'll be careful then. It'll be nice for the Weasleys not to have to worry about the cost of the books. And talking of books, I'll better go and join them to fill out our Hogwarts letter. I need Professor McGonagall's help with that to find out what book Snape will be using."

"Very well, Harry. If I don't talk to you anymore before you leave I'd like to wish you an enjoyable outing for the next days."

"Thank you, Mr Black. I think I will actually."

Harry took the book bag, quickly ran up to his bedroom to collect his OWL letter and made his way back downstairs to join the others in the kitchen. Dobby was still in there and Harry made his way over to him first.

"Dobby, can you keep this book bag safe for me until tomorrow ? We'll need it when we go to Flourish and Blott but since only the four of you and I can actually use it I figured you would be able to look after it best."

"Harry sir entrusts book bag to Dobby and the house elves ? Thank you, Harry sir, such an honour ! Winky and I will be going now. Tea today comes from Blythe and Beatrice."

"Thank you Dobby. We'll see you in a few hours."

Harry then joined the others at the table and was happy when he saw someone had at least remembered to bring quills and ink along.

"Professor McGonagall, could you please tell me what I need to do to find out about the potions books Professor Snape assigned ? I figured they could be a good extra reference to have."

"Good thinking Harry. You'll need to tick all the classes you want to take, including Potions. For each box you tick a list of books will appear on the second page of your letter. Once you've done that, I'll lock your book list page, and then clear the box for Potions."

"Thank you Professor" said Harry, quickly ticking all appropriate boxes on his letter. When arriving on the Study Groups section he checked with his head of house again.

"Professor, do we have to check the box for the DA as well ?"

"Very good, Harry. A regular student can sigh up until mid September, as notices for these groups go up on the four Common Room notice boards in the first days of classes. However, if the leader of the study group hasn't signed on, then any student who wanted to join will automatically receive a notice saying the group is cancelled."

"So would these study groups have a maximum life span of seven years ?"

"Oh no, the Chess Society and the Gobstones Club have been around since my student days. The leader can pass on leadership. This needs to be done on the last meeting of the year but can be very informal."

"Thank you for your explanation, Professor. There's still so much about Hogwarts that I don't know."

"Not to worry, Harry, even after all these years, the place can sometimes still surprise me !"

Harry was smiling as he ticked the last box. Checking his book list on the next page he was quite surprised by the length of that list.

"You have ticked all the appropriate boxes, Harry ?"

When he nodded, Professor McGonagall aimed her wand at Harry's book list and said "serratura", then pointed towards the first page and said "radura" and all the ticks Harry had placed earlier were gone. The book list was still his impressive self.

Harry thanked the professor and then proceeded to re-tick the appropriate boxes, mindful to not touch the one listed for the potions class.

They all handed her the letters so she could return to Hogwarts to start one of her duties as Deputy Headmistress, preparing and sending out the letters for the other students.

The five new sixth year students sat reading through their book list with a face clearly showing their surprise at the length of it.

"You do realise, guys and galls, that the booklist is for both your sixth and seventh year ?" said Fred.

"And you can find most of those books in the Hogwarts library anyway. Not to mention there'll be a few old course books listed as well." continued George.

Ron looked less green and managed a "That's a relief."

"Well, it's not too bad. The Black book bag will certainly help out too." said Harry.

"A book bag ? From Flourish and Blotts ? I've read about those. They are extremely rare."

"Yep, that's what Mr Black said too. Dobby will join us to the shop and you can hand all your books to either him or me, and we'll put them in the bag and when we are done, the money comes straight out of the vault. And it comes with a nice discount on all purchases."

"We can use it too, Harry ?" asked Hermione and Harry could almost see his book-loving friend go through a mental list of books she would love to purchase.

"Well, apparently no one but the family house elves and the head of the family can touch the bag, that's why you give the books to either Dobby or me, but yes, buy whatever you like in Flourish and Blotts. And that goes for you guys as well." Harry said, smiling at the Weasleys and Neville.

He returned his attention to his booklist and studied it with a little more attention.

Booklist for Harry James Potter

Charms

Course books

The complete anthology of Charms

Additional reading material

An Anthology of Eighteenth Century Charms

Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes

Quintessence : a quest

Defence Against the Dark Arts

Course books

Compendium of Common Curses and their counter actions

The complete magical guide to the Dark Arts and Defence against them

Additional reading material

Confronting the Faceless

Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks

Magick Moste Evile

Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts

Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts

Self-Defensive Spellwork

The Dark Arts Outsmarted

The Darkness Within : A Guide to Self Preservation

Weird Wizarding Dilemmas and Their Solutions

Where There's a Wand, There's a Way

Herbology

Course books

Nature's Treasures : a complete guide to magical and muggle plants

Additional reading material

Potions, ingredients and tools : a complete guide

Potions

Course books

Advanced Potion-Making

Additional reading material

Asiatic Anti-Venoms

Moste Potente Potions

Potions, ingredients and tools : a complete guide

Transfiguration

Course books

Guide to Advanced Transfiguration

Additional reading material

Spotting the spelled from the real

To be or not to be ? Can you tell ?

Wizarding Society

Course books

Walking with Wizards : a complete overview of magical society

Additional reading material

Encyclopedia Magica – the complete set

Law and Order : A detailed guide to Wizarding Law

Managing your money

Preparing for Leadership

The Wonderful World of the Ministry of Magic

Ancient Runes

Course books

Ancient Runes Made Easy

Rune Dictionary

Additional reading material

Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms

Spellman's Syllabary

Arithmancy

Course books

Numerology and Grammatica

Additional reading material

New Theory of Numerology

What's in a Number ?

Basic Healing

Course books

The Complete Magical Medical Guide

The Complete Muggle Medical Guide

Additional reading material

Magical First Aid

Muggle First Aid

Care of Magical Creatures

Course books

The Animal Kingdom : Complete and Illustrated Guide to magical and muggle animals

Additional reading material

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The Monster Book Of Monsters

There were a few books Harry recognised as current or old course books, and some of the books he recognised as having consulted during the TriWizard Tournament. He remembered buying one of the books as a Christmas gift for Hermione and Remus and Sirius had given him one on the list as well. He was surprised to find a book on there for Potions that he knew to be in the restricted section of the library. After all, one does not forget making polyjuice potion in a girl's bathroom during second year !

It was nearly tea time and Remus came to join them in the kitchen so the two house elves served them their tea a little earlier. Looking through Harry's booklist he remarked that it had gotten even longer than in his days.

"Remus, the twins said that this booklist is valid for two years. Can you tell us more about that ?"

"The twins are correct, Harry. During the year, there's a lot of reading to do, and the teacher will hand out lots of research-and-report homework. At the end of your sixth year, you don't have an exam as such but an evaluation to see how far you've come in your course study work. Depending on the result of the evaluation you'll be given recommendations on how to proceed for your seventh year. More books could be advised if you show potential. For you Harry I could easily envisage more detailed DADA research, and for Neville the same with Herbology. That's how the Masters in some subject are achieved. Some students get an average NEWT score and continue their study after Hogwarts, a few are brilliant enough to achieve their Mastery by the time they leave Hogwarts."

A few taps on the kitchen window brought their attention back to the here and now and they were surprised to see Mr Teague at the door.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this, Remus, students, but my friends told me you'll be going to London later this afternoon. I wanted to wish you a lovely outing and bring round my book list."

"Thank you Mr Teague, or should that be Professor from now on ?" asked Harry.

"Neither, Harry. Please just call me Elijah."

"Thank you, Elijah. Would you join us for tea ? We were just looking through our booklist for Hogwarts. Would you like to see the book choice of the Hogwarts Potions Professor. I thought to maybe purchase one copy as an additional reference book."

"Tea would be lovely, thank you. And that's good thinking Harry so yes, I'd like to see his choice."

Harry handed him the long scroll and it wasn't long before he commented Snape's choice.

"Now why would he do that ? Making his students buy a book that has errors in it ! And making them read a book that offers less information than what is mentioned in the other one. And no reference to animals at all !"

Elijah looked up as he heard suppressed laughter.

"What ?" he enquired, when he saw the others looking at him with a surprised grin.

"That's the first time we heard anyone other than students giving criticism on Snape and we were surprised, that's all." said Neville.

"Yes, well, he has an atrocious taste in books. Listen, the course book I'd like to use is the book on his additional reading list that you have to get for Herbology too. From the Charms section, the Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charms has a section on Potions, the Magick Moste Evile from DADA, the Herbology Course book and the Most Potente Potions has extra details on a few potions. The Potions section of the Encyclopedia Magica is real interesting as are the Magical Healing books Harry has on his list. The teacher of Care of Magical creatures is smart to have that particular book as a course book as it also offers additional information on the use of the animal or parts of it to potions. As long as you all get the "Potions, ingredients and tools : a complete guide" book and you have at least one, maybe two sets of the others I indicated that should do you fine. And for the Encyclopedia Magica you'd best enquire when a new print will be available. If that should be within the next 12 to 18 months, I'd look for a used copy and wait with buying a set. Or you could splash out and get a self-updating version. It'll be expensive but well worth its price."

"Thanks again Elijah. It's most helpful and I'm looking forward to having Potions classes, new style."

They sat at the kitchen table talking a little longer until Elijah arranged to meet them after the weekend to discuss the practical details of the tuition and returned home.

- - - - - - - - -

Author's Note :

Again thank you for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

Have a nice weekend all. Hope you Americans enjoy SuperBowl Sunday.

kadedeetje


	18. Chapter 17

**The Half Blood Prince Revealed**

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**17 New and improved**

Mr Black was looking on in amusement from his open study door as the large congregation of people stood about in the Manor Entrance Hall. After tea with their new Potions teacher the group had realised that the moment to move out had come and they were all eager for the outing. It had been a mad scramble for all to pack an overnight bag for the next two to three nights.

From his vantage point on the third step up the stairs Harry saw everyone had arrived and so called for attention.

"Is every one ready ?"

Harry saw enthusiastic nods all around and continued.

"Did everyone pack for three nights and bring their tooth brushes ?"

More nods followed and a few sported smiling faces at Harry's little joke.

"All right. If every one thought to bring their vault key for Gringotts and their book list we can be off."

Giving them a moment to mentally check they had all they needed Harry resumed his little speech.

"Well Mr Black, bye for now and enjoy the peace and quiet while we're gone. We're off shopping and a stay at Lily's Haven." Harry silently added "Always Pureness of Heart" while thinking of the Tapestry Room at Grimmauld Place and the twelve of them disappeared from the Manor Main Hall and appeared moments later at the desired location.

For a few short moments there was utter silence and the group took in their new surroundings. Mrs Longbottom awed "Oh my !" drew their attention to the tapestry that hung in front of them. Remembering the moth eaten and dirty rag that it used to be the visitors were duly impressed with the new colourful display and expressed this rather loudly.

Mrs Longbottom and Hermione's parents didn't understand what the commotion was about so Harry explained that they'd been here last year while his godfather was hiding from the aurors and that the place had looked very differently back then.

By the open door Professor Dumbledore and Tonks were watching the new arrivals take in their surrounding. Mrs Weasley was the first to spot them, as Harry and Remus were too busy explaining some of the changes to the others but soon everybody had said their "hello"'s.

Dobby and Winky arrived to take their overnight bags and Tonks took them on a tour of the house, showing them where every one had their rooms. As soon as the group was led into the hall Mrs Weasley, Ginny and Hermione gasped at the change the place had undergone since last Christmas.

The ugly umbrella-stand and house elf heads were gone and the walls were now painted a soft yellow. Rather than the threadbare carpet a pale wooden floor was gleaming as if recently polished. And it didn't stop there. All the rooms were no longer recognizable when compared with their state last Christmas and the house felt just as warm and welcoming as Black Manor.

Across the hall from the Tapestry room, as Harry called it, but it was a formal sitting room really, was an equally formal dining room, easily seating twenty. Back into the hall the front door was to the left and to the right the hall led to the staircase and behind that the entry to on the left hand a bathroom, to the right the stairs for the downstairs kitchen and to the back of the house they found an enormous yet cosy living room with floor to ceiling windows/doors leading out to a small walled in garden where they could see a riot of flowering shrubs and potted plants. Making their way back into the hall they continued their tour upstairs.

To the front of the house on the first floor were two bedrooms, to the back, above the large living room was an equally massive room, but totally empty for the moment. Tonks explained it was a ballroom but could serve any other purpose just as well.

The second floor had, as the plaque on the door stated, Remus' bedroom to the front on the right, the left room was a library packed with books, offering both a cosy corner and a desk in the other. To the back of the house, above the ballroom was Harry's master bedroom.

The third, fourth and fifth floor all sported an additional four bedrooms each, with Ginny, Hermione and Tonks on the third floor, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Mr and Mrs Granger and Mrs Longbottom on the fourth floor, leaving the four boys the rooms on the fifth floor. The top floor yielded a few more surprises. At the front of the house was a regular attic room and it looked to be filled with boxes that would need sorting. To the back of the house the top floor had a hothouse filled with exotic plants but it turned out to be a bit of a jungle as for years and years the residents had had no idea the place was there. It led out to a small roof terrace that offered a stunning view of London.

They had just made their way back to the top floor landing when Dobby popped up to tell them dinner was ready. They made their way downstairs and as usual opted for the informal dining room that was situated on the lower ground floor. To the right of the stairs was a door leading to a small loo, to the left the door opened into the kitchen and dining room. The L-shaped room took up about three quarters of the total floor area and had an enchanted ceiling like the Great Hall at Hogwarts. As there were only small windows at the top of the room the sun drenched sky offered all the light the room needed. From the kitchen area there was access to both a small larder and a utility room. Another set of stairs led further down to the cellar, housing a large stock of excellent wines and other food supplies as well as four comfortable rooms for the house elves, just in case they decided to move to Grimmauld Place once Harry was back at school.

Dobby and Winky had once again cooked them a scrumptious meal and they remained seated around the kitchen table for a long time as the elder member of the party reminisced about their Hogwarts years and the two difficult years of the NEWTs. Mr Weasley and Mr Granger, seated close together had restarted their conversation exchanging information of their respective worlds when Remus discussed the arrangements for the next day. Not knowing how long Harry's visit at Gringotts would take it had been decided that the others would wait until late lunch time to go to the Leaky Cauldron, where they would have a meal before starting their shopping.

In view of Harry's early start the next morning he went up to his bedroom earlier than the rest but ended up talking to Dobby and Winky for a little while, arranging for his early departure, a request for Winky to talk to Blythe about the conservatory and also for her to have a look at the boxes in the attic. If Winky could let him know about the contents it would be most helpful.

After a night filled with bizarre dreams of Harry fighting his way through scrolls of parchments and books vying for his attention he woke in eager anticipation of the day. It was strange to think that, for all it had going for it, even Black Manor started to feel like a cage, albeit a much improved version of one. Then again, the last few days had been quite stressful what with OWL results, book lists and decisions that could change your life …

After a quick shower Harry made his way down to the kitchen where he met up with Dobby, Winky and Remus. As agreed Dobby would join Harry to Gringotts this morning and upon the second visit of the day to the bank Harry would introduce Remus to the goblin elected to be manager for the Black estate. Harry enjoyed a light breakfast of quark cheese and fresh fruit salad followed by a lightly boiled egg, toast and tea. Remus only partook in the tea as he'd been talking with a few visiting order members until late and would be back to bed for a few hours as soon as Harry left. Wishing Remus a few more hours of good sleep Harry concentrated on Gringotts and Diagon Alley, and away he popped.

Harry arrived at the bottom of the white marble stairs leading in to Gringotts Bank. His early appointment meant that not many people were around just yet. With a soft pop Dobby too appeared in Diagon Alley and together they made their way inside. Harry did not even have to talk to anyone as immediately a well remembered goblin came up to him.

"Good morning Griphook."

"Good morning Mr Potter. Please follow me as I escort you to the private room we've set up for your use." replied said goblin, and if Harry's recognition had left any impression on him, Griphook showed no trace of it.

Harry and Dobby had difficulty to keep up with the goblin as they were lead into one after yet another corridor and if left on his own Harry was sure to have difficulty finding his way back. At last they were shown inside a very comfy room reminding him a little of his own new sitting room cum study corner of his bedroom at Black Manor. Harry had hardly had the time to look at his surroundings when another goblin appeared in the door and came up to Harry to introduce himself as Schmegg, head of the bank.

After introductions were complete, Harry learned that Griphook made it to Account Manager and would, if Harry agreed, be in charge of the Black estate. Refreshments had been offered and the head goblin asked : "Were the reports we sent you of any help to you sir ?"

"Yes, thank you. They gave me a good picture of the size of the estate. There were just a few questions and changes that I would like to make though. First of all I would like to change the terms that exist between the estate and Gringotts. I found out that if no payments were asked or offered after 321 years of renting a building would be declared the property of the one currently using it. I realize that I still have a few years before this deadline approaches but I'd like to ask for a yearly rent. However," Harry quickly added , as he saw Schmegg was not best pleased with his news, "in return I also don't think it's been very fair that you do all the hard work of managing the Black estate and receive no payment for it. So I suggest you too ask for a service fee to be paid from now on. As for the rent of this building I hope you will agree to pay an amount of one knut per year to be paid in the Black account on the first of August every year. Would that be acceptable to you ?"

Unlike Griphook Schmegg had not been able to hide the various feelings he'd had upon listening to Harry and the relief was audible in his response.

"That will be more than acceptable. In return however I will have to set a service fee of a 10 000th of a percent on all profits made from the dealings of the account. Will you agree to this, sir ?"

"I'm sorry to have to refuse that Schmegg, it is too ridiculous. I offer you a tenth of a percent for your services. I know they are worth far more but in view of your earlier offer the best I can do short of offending you."

The rate agreed to by both parties Harry started on the other matters that needed to be addressed.

"I might be able to visit the Black vault a few times more before returning to Hogwarts in September, but from the list you provided I know that someone with the knowledge and capability will be required to check a lot of those items coming from the public Black vault for Dark Arts and hexes. I would therefore like to grant Remus John Lupin, my honorary guardian, unlimited access to the vault to look these items over. Maybe you could provide assistance should he require it, especially when the destruction of some of the more dangerous items is needed. I would also like to grant Dobby the house elf access to the accounts. He'll be running the estate in my absence and be my second representative. He will be introduced to a number of stores where we want to open an account as representative of the Black estate.

There is also a new account in name of the "Sirius Black Memorial Fund" that I'd like to open with one million galleons transferred onto it. I am still working on the details of the workings of the fund but will let you know in due course.

I would also like to make a monthly cash payment of 100 galleons to Messrs Waverly and one of 72 galleons to Mr Teague as they don't own a Gringotts account."

Griphook interrupted Harry as he said "But they do own a vault."

"They do ? They are convinced they don't have one though. Could you look into the matter and confirm the existence of the vaults to them please ? That would be quite a help. And if these accounts are theirs, you can offer them either option for my payments."

"Very well, sir, I will provide them with a full report on the contents of their vaults in the next few days. Will there be anything else before you visit your vaults ?"

"Actually, yes, there is. I couldn't help but notice that allowances to Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy have been issued at a time that my godfather and heir was incarcerated in Azkaban prison. Furthermore I know for a fact that he would not be giving those cousins of his any money so I was wondering how those allowances came about. Can you tell me please."

"Ah yes, that was quite a bad time for all of us. Mrs Black was under the impression that Mr Black Sr had disinherited his eldest son, Sirius, in favour of his youngest and/or his nieces Bellatrix and Narcissa. However, it seemed that Mr Black Sr did nothing of the sort and Sirius became the heir anyway while in prison. Mrs Black was about to loose her home and money and came in here demanding access to the accounts and allowances for all and sundry. Even if we had wanted to it was far outside our legal rights to grant her request, but she went up a level higher, threatened with legal actions and after several weeks of ranting finally took her case to the Minister, who sent a recently appointed Ministry clerk named Fudge as her representative. He was the one who signed the papers ordering us to hand over the money. We were able to fight that decision down to only giving them monthly allowances and no access to either the family or Sirius' own vault. There was nothing else we could do after that but you, as new heir, can revoke these decisions and take legal actions against the illegal use of power. The estate or you would need a good solicitor but you can be assured of our fullest cooperation on the matter."

"Thank you. That will be much appreciated when the time comes. Can you tell me, if I revoke the standing order now, how long do I have before I need to press charges ?"

"From the time you revoke the order to the time of your charges you have three months, but as these allowances are transferred on the 15th of each month, you have an extra three weeks to look into the matter and ask for advice before you revoke the order by the 14th of next month. You gain almost a month of extra time."

Harry nodded.

"Good idea, Griphook. Either Remus or I will contact you with instructions when the time comes. For now, that's all I really needed to do or wanted to know. Would it be possible to visit the vaults now please ? And how will I know if I can remove objects from the Potter vault should there be anything in there I'd like to take ?"

"I will provide you with two Moving Boxes. They will store any object you wish to take out of the vault in a secure compartment per item to allow transport, and when you are done in the vault, just tap it with your wand. The Box will shrink to be small enough to fit in your pockets. Once at home, you tap it again and it will return to its original size. Once emptied the box will automatically return to our storage facility. If an item should not be removed from the vault the box will close shut when you attempt to put it in. It has been our experience that most family vaults will allow removal of portraits, wall hangings and small jewellery sometimes even furniture can be taken. I'm afraid it very much will depend on your family vault."

After thanking the Head goblin for his time and help and with the promise to contact him again should he require further assistance Harry and Dobby were lead out of the meeting room by Griphook and once again were taken through a veritable maze of corridors to end up in the narrow stone passage-way where Griphook whistled for a cart to take the three of them to the vaults.

After a wild and much longer ride than Harry remembered ever having before they visited the Black vault first. Not sure what to expect Harry was still slightly disappointed when the doors leading into the vault were non-descript. Other than not having a keyhole, there were no indications of the wealth Harry knew to be hidden behind them. When neither Griphook nor Dobby made a move to dismount from the cart, Harry looked over and Griphook explained that rather than a goblin controlled door, like the high security vault Harry visited with Hagrid before starting at Hogwarts, this was wizard controlled and only after Harry or Remus had been recognized by the wards would Dobby be able to join him inside. So, now with a little hesitation, Harry got out of the cart and stood in front of the door that after a few moments melted away in very much the same way he remembered vault 713's door disappearing.

And despite knowing what awaited him after looking through the long list Harry was still stunned into momentary silence after which he let out a "Bloody Hell" worthy of Ron. The vault looked huge, even when filled to the brim with all kinds of things and Harry could imagine the place would be vast once emptied. Getting his head finally back to the task at hand he asked Dobby to maybe begin clearing two opposite corners so Remus would be able to sort the things in two piles : to keep and to destroy. He warned Dobby to be careful though as some items could well be hexed or full of Dark Arts. Harry himself went as far to the back of the vault as he possibly could but it looked like he still was only about halfway in when his path was blocked by suits of armor and chaises and chairs. "How to look for something among this mess then ?" Harry muttered to himself, when to his surprise a voice from the left spoke up "By asking for it, of course !"

There standing on top of a dresser pushed against the wall was a portrait of some Black relative. The sheet that had been covering the picture was slowly slithering down as if the person in the picture had giving it a little tug. The man in the picture looked to be in his mid thirties and only had a passing resemblance to Sirius. He looked friendly enough though and Harry apologized for not knowing who he was.

"I'm Alphard Black and no apologies are required as I don't know you either. Although you bear a striking resemblance to that boy whose family took Sirius in when he finally left his folks. But you are too young to be that friend as I'm sure it's been many years since that time."

"You are correct in both assumptions, sir. My grandparents took Sirius in when he was my age, now some twenty years ago."

"So what are you doing here ? Isn't Sirius with you ?"

"I'm sorry, sir, Sirius was killed by his cousin Bellatrix last month and I inherited the estate. I just came to retrieve a pensieve and Sirius' Marauder Manual. I was wondering sir, would you like to leave the vault and come to Grimmauld Place or Black Manor ? I know Sirius was quite fond of you so that's a good recommendation in my book."

"You would do that ? I mean, take me from the vault. That would be wonderful. It's been quite lonely in here I must admit."

"Good. That's arranged then. You said to call for things in order to find them. It's that simple ?"

"Well, ehm, yes and no. You'd have to be careful around some items. If you'd call for a dirk you'd need to be a seeker or you could end up being gored by it. But small stuff should be no problem."

"OK Here goes then", said Harry, not really looking terribly sure of himself "Accio Marauder Manual".

Nothing seemed to be happening at first but in one corner some items seemed to be shifting and suddenly a large tome came flying his way.

Thanks to his quick reflexes Harry managed to pluck the book from the air. The moment he touched it however, Harry started seeing a quick succession of images of the Gryffindor common room and a messy boys dormitory and the inside of the shrieking shack. He saw three boys hiding under the Invisibility cloak getting past a cranky as ever Mr Filch and setting up a prank for the Slytherin table.

Harry couldn't help but smile at the images he was seeing and it wasn't until Uncle Alphard gave a discreet cough that he realized he'd been standing in the middle of a vault with a silly smile on his face with no explanation to the others of the reason for his odd behaviour.

"I'm sorry, sir. The book was eager to show me some of the adventures it's seen."

"Ah yes, I did hear of some of the mischief those boys were up too."

Harry moved over to the Moving Box and as he deposited the book some soft packing material appeared both beneath and on top of the book and suddenly it was hidden by a layer of what looked like the original bottom of the empty box. After summoning the pensieve he wanted to take that too was wrapped up in soft material and disappeared into a next layer of the moving box.

Harry wanted to try to summon any pictures that may be around and checked with Dobby for help if needed. He was very happy he'd bothered to ask as no sooner had he accio'ed pictures when a true avalanche came his way. Fortunately Dobby was able to redirect their path straight into the moving box.

"Wow, thanks Dobby. I would have been in real trouble if you hadn't helped."

But seeing how it had worked, even better than expected, Harry tried one more summoning and said "Accio Marauder items".

This time it was a lone book that came his way. When grabbing hold of it Harry once again was seeing things. This time it looked to be the first revelation of his dad's and godfather's animal form and the partial success at changing Sirius' hand into his Padfoot paw.

As he looked at the title he couldn't help but laugh out loud. This had to be Sirius' work to come up with a title like "Wolfie's Friends".

This book too disappeared into the Moving Box and after another good look around Harry decided he wanted to move on to the Potter vault. All that was left was to pack up Uncle Alphard's portrait.

"Sir, have you heard of these moving boxes ?" asked Harry, not wanting to upset the man in the painting.

"They weren't around in my time yet, but I can see how they are useful for Gringotts. I'll be going in there too I presume."

"Yes sir, that's the idea. I'll be visiting the Potter vault next but will make sure to unpack when I arrive at Grimmauld Place so it wouldn't be for very long."

"Never mind how long it takes, young man, knowing I'll be out of this vault at the end of the trip will be something nice to look forward too. Now get on, the sooner I'm in the sooner I'm out again." said the man with a smile on his face.

So Harry was careful to wrap the portrait up in its covering before placing it in the Moving Box. Closing the lid on the box Harry tapped it once with his wand and it shrunk to the size of a box for large matches and he carefully placed it inside his inside robe pocket. The three then made their way back to the cart and made a short ride to the entrance of the Potter vault. This time Harry didn't hesitate and stepped out of the cart. It took mere seconds for the door to vanish but to Harry it felt like aeons had passed. Not knowing what he'd find behind the doors of this particular vault he wasn't sure to be apprehensive or eager. After al, this vault might contain reminders of the entire Potter family dating back to the Gawaine Potter mentioned in the Black family book. And the vault might just as well prove to be empty but for the purchases the goblins made since taking over the management.

Unlike the Black vault where things were stacked and placed higgledy-piggledy the Potter vault was neatly laid out but looked to contain even more items than he'd seen in the other vault. To the right however, a very nicely carved desk stood with two very prominent items on top of it. One was an envelope addressed to "Our son Harry James Potter" in the handwriting Harry recognised as that of his dad. With shaking hands he opened the letter and started to read the first of two parchments.

_20 October 1981_

_Dear Harry,_

_These are troubling times in our world and even more so for us. Professor Dumbledore has warned us of the possible danger you and your friend Neville are in from that monster that claims himself Lord Voldemort. It is a bit rich coming from one of mixed blood himself but he and his pure blood followers want to kill off any muggle born or mixed blooded witch and wizard to save the magical community of so called impurity._

_We would prefer to stand up to him and be rid of him but you mean too much to risk your safety and have therefore taken precautions by emptying Potter Manor, moving the contents into the vault and hiding the empty building. Since everyone knows where Potter Manor is located we are hoping Riddle and his gang will spend a lot of time trying to break through the wards to get to us while at the same time we will be hiding in our summer cottage in Godric's Hollow. Professor Dumbledore suggested we use the Fidelius Charm. No one knows the little extra touch we've added. Peter Pettigrew will be Secret Keeper rather than the most expected candidate Sirius Black who will thus be a decoy. We should be safe enough. We wanted to have Remus Lupin in on it too, after all, these three are our best friends, but we didn't want to burden him with even more on top of his monthly problem._

_Just as a precaution I'm writing down the entry incantation to Potter Manor. You will need it should things go wrong for us anyway. However, you'll need to be of age to be able to read and use it._

_**Egafo ebot de enuo ydiasi**_

_There is so much more I would really want to say to you, dear Harry, and at this moment there is too little time to do it. I believe the most important statement would be that I love you very much. Since your birth you have been a constant joy to your mother and me and anything we do in this life will be done to guard you from harm._

_Keep safe always, my son._

_James Potter_

_20 October 1981_

_My dearest Harry,_

_How I wish you never get to read this letter. It would mean someone somehow has found the way to get rid of the horror that is Tom Riddle without involving either you or Neville Longbottom._

_But as I have learned since joining the magical world some ten years ago even magical people don't often get their wishes granted._

_Your father and I are preparing ourselves for a trying time, doubly so, as we will have no contact whatsoever with the outside world once we go under this Fidelius charm._

_This letter is a means to an end really. There are so many things I hope to be able to tell you in person when you are old enough to understand them but at this moment in time a bare minimum will have to suffice. The family vault where you've just found these letters contains about everything the Potter family has ever had handed down from generation to generation, each generation adding numerous heirlooms to the list. The Potter Family Book you can see on top of the desk will give you a detailed history. However, one box, clearly labelled "Lily Evans" (my maiden name), contains the precious little I've been able to preserve of my family. My elder sister Petunia, her husband and baby boy are all that remain at this moment and we have not parted on the best of terms. Should you ever meet her, please tell her on my behalf I'll always love her and will do whatever I can to protect her and her family from harm._

_My dear Harry, please know you have been the greatest joy to me even from before you made your noisy entry into the world and know I will love and protect you any way I can for as long as is possible._

_Love and be loved, always._

_Lily Evans Potter_

Harry had been reading and rereading the letters several times before he wiped his wet cheeks clear and decided to explore the vault for its contents. The Family book on the desk was visible to him but he couldn't pick it up or open it. It was as if a ghost had left his book there. "That's the first thing I cannot take yet." thought Harry to himself before going deeper into the vault.

His mum had not been kidding when she mentioned all the Potter heirlooms had been stowed into the vault. He was randomly picking up ornaments that were on display and found some of them to look quite valuable, while others looked more kitsch. Opening cupboards and pulling open drawers he found little baby boots and christening clothes, wedding veils and bridal costumes. Moving to yet another dresser he was quite overwhelmed when he opened up a drawer and saw a beautiful display of jewellery. There were tiara's, wristbands, rings, brooches, necklaces of all kind and colour. The second drawer wielded yet more, this time arranged by matching sets. One set obviously designed for a man drew his attention, as there were a watch, cufflinks, a tiepin and a ring all in a very simple design. They all sported the initials HP in some obvious or less noticeable way and a nice looking green stone was set in all four items. He'd planned to buy a new watch anyway so decided to at least try to take this set. If Professor Dumbledore decided to throw some kind of ball this year at least he'd be prepared. He picked up the watch first and was happy to feel his hand touch the cool surface rather than grab into thin air. Fastening it to his wrist did not pose a problem as the watch-strap adjusted itself. Trying the ring on for size proved to be an exercise in vain as the ring too adjusted itself to his finger and Harry had to admit the ring did look and feel good on his hand. With the cufflinks and tiepin still nicely ensconced in the set box Harry closed both the little box and the drawer before continuing in his perusal of the vault. There was an awful lot of furniture and it left Harry with a continuously growing image of a vast house. He figured it would need tons of rooms to house this lot. Also present in the vault were loads of covered up paintings. Somehow Harry knew the people in them would not speak to him but he looked at some of them anyway. Two of the paintings Harry hoped to take back with him even if they didn't move. One was a portrait of two elderly people with two young lads by their side. The man could be no one other than his grandfather. But for the bluest eyes he'd ever seen he was looking at a much older version of himself with white rather than jet black hair, but it was just as messy as his own. One of the young men was clearly recognisable as his dad and the other was a wide grinning Sirius. The woman on the portrait reminded Harry of a cross between the stern Professor McGonagall and the motherly Mrs Weasley. Although the hair was drawn into a tight bun Harry could still see traces of red between the grey. She had a regal looking pose but somehow Harry just knew she'd have been a lovely person to talk to.

The second portrait also contained four people. His mum was seated in a chair, holding a sleeping baby dressed in what looked like christening clothes. On one side of her James Potter was looking down on the pair in the chair with a loving smile. On the other side Sirius looked on with a mix of envy, joy and love.

With the help again of Dobby he called for any pictures he might be allowed to take. Not many came but Harry was still looking forward to see them. Harry asked Griphook if there was a way to have a list of the books available in the vault, and to his delight the goblin succeeded in producing a long list of books. Not wanting to take any of the books he'd seen Harry finally decided he'd end this visit now, safe in the knowledge he'd be able to come back and look through his family history next year. Much to his relief however the two paintings did get safely packed away in the second Moving Box along with the jewel box and the pictures and after reducing its size placed it carefully in his robe pocket.

Back in the cart Griphook made one more stop and this time Harry needed his vault key. He'd decided to take out three thousand galleons of his money as he was planning to update his entire wardrobe with fitting clothes. Even though he'd need to buy out the whole of Diagon Alley to spend that much money, Harry now had a safe place to put the extra cash. With no one but himself able to open it the Black box would come in very handy.

A wild cart ride later Dobby and Harry thanked Griphook for his valued assistance and said their farewells in the now very busy Gringotts Hall. Harry turned to Dobby as they walked outside and said "Dobby It's still early enough so I'd like to visit another Black residence now. Can you give me a few seconds before following me ? I have no idea where we'll end up so be prepared for anything."

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Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

Have a nice weekend all.

kadedeetje


	19. Chapter 18

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

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**18 The Trouble with Shopping**

While silently saying the "Always Pureness of Heart" incantation Harry closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again mere moments later he stood in what felt like the middle of water. The rain was pouring down in a - most likely temporary - deluge. Looking around he found what appeared to be a doorway and hurried over to shelter from the storm. Dobby either had better control over where he landed when apparating or was just lucky to arrive right next to Harry and was thus spared a shower. After casting a quick drying spell on himself Harry saw he was standing on the edge of a rather impressive courtyard. On the outer edges of the yard Harry could just make out high walls built in a grey material making them hard to see in this rain. Not able to see much on the outside Harry turned to have a look inside when he saw Dobby looking like he'd seen Lucius Malfoy take back the sock that freed the house elf.

"Dobby, what's wrong ? What's happened ?"

Dobby couldn't speak from fright and so just pointed to something he'd seen inside. Gripping his wand firmer Harry took a step inside and arrived in a large room, empty of furniture but a few couches grouped around. The outside wall across from him looked as if it was made of clouds but the most striking presence was floating several steps inside the room : the ghost of a house elf. It looked to be asleep and Harry couldn't understand what made Dobby so frightened.

"Hello," tried Harry, "can you help me, please ?"

The request seemed to register, as the ghostly figure slowly opened his eyes and started talking, but Harry soon realised the house elf thought he was dreaming.

"Now they are coming in my dreams ! Gregory was bad house elf and will stay forever and ever and never again be able to help. What did I do to deserve this. How that house elf looks shocked at the sight of me, and master next to him …"

It was as if the house elf had needed to wake up from a deep sleep and only now realised the people were really there and not dream people. His eyes widened and he perked up, looking once again like the proud house elf he probably was while alive.

"Hello, Gregory," said Harry, "can you tell me why Dobby is so shocked at seeing a house elf ghost ?"

Like a soufflé not handled right the ghost had seemed to deflate as Harry spoke and he started crying and hiccupping through his ghostly tears.

"Only bad elves become ghosts, when they don't do work good. I promised master I would tell next master of the castle but I waited and waited and waited and he didn't come and then I died and I didn't go but stayed and … and …"

"Gregory, maybe it would help to tell me now and you could still be allowed to leave. After all, your master could not have known you would have to wait for such a long time. It has been over three hundred years after all !"

The house elf looked up with what Harry assumed were watery ghost eyes. "Would master think so ?"

"Why, Gregory, I do think that the only reason you became a ghost is because you still had to tell the next master about the castle. Once you've done that, you've done as you've promised and you'll be able to move on."

"I can tell you, master, about the castle ?" The house elf, even in ghostly form, seemed to visibly cheer up but the next moment he crumbled and started crying loudly again.

Harry, after several failed attempts finally he learned the house elf had also promised Master Black to say goodbye to him, and since master Black would surely be dead, he, Gregory, would be roaming the castle for ever and ever and never be able to help … Harry perked up at that news. After all, Mr Black was technically still around and so Gregory would be able to move on.

"Gregory, after you've told me about the castle, you can go to Black Manor and say goodbye to Master Black."

"Master Sirius is still there ?"

"Yes, he is Gregory. Maybe Master Sirius was waiting for you to come say goodbye."

"Can Gregory now tell you about the castle, master ?" came the eager response.

"Yes, please do. Can you tell me why I can see two castles when there is also clearly only one here ?"

"You can see two castles because you are the master, master. A man called Valdemar had been a warrior for a long time, following in his father's footsteps. But he retired, got married and they had a baby. Then one day while he was out hunting his wife and child were killed and his home destroyed. That's when he built the castle, joining muggle means and magic. He then went to find the murderers of his family and locked them up in the castle. After a while Valdemar found a new wife and started a new family, but he never stopped locking up criminals. By the time Valdemar died of very old age the people around here only knew him as 'that man Black'.

From the beginning the castle has been both a home and a prison. Valdemar built the castle so that you would see and find what you expected. If you want this to be the most beautiful castle, that's what you'll see. But if you expect a gruesome terrifying prison, then that's what you'll get. No two people will ever see the same thing, as the best or worst is different for every one. The only one who gets to see both is the new master."

"Oh," said Harry, "Is that why I see both a white marble floor and a rough stone one at the same time ?"

"Yes, indeed. If you follow me, I'll show you round. This floor is very easy. Out there is the courtyard and that is the centre of the top floor of the castle. Around the courtyard is the building that houses all the rooms of the top floor. These rooms are the largest in the castle and serve as either ball room, dining room, meeting room, weapon room, battle room, kitchen and this, where we are now is the most important room of the castle, the centre room. There are two hallways running the entire length of the castle on the inside and outside perimeter. The rooms off the inside perimeter hallway are the family rooms, those off the outside perimeter hallway are the prison and battle rooms. The floor below is where the prison rooms start. These can be either prison rooms or guest rooms. All the guest rooms are normally on the inside perimeter, the prison cells are on the outside perimeter."

Harry was simply flabbergasted at the sheer size of the place. The centre room as Gregory had called the room, which was as large if not larger than the Great Hall at Hogwarts, had a few seating areas scattered around, as if it was a waiting room of some sort. There were five doors, the one Dobby and he had entered through, and four others, each one situated in a corner of the room. He followed the house elf as they made their way through the door on the right side of the room, closest to the courtyard. They entered a long hallway Harry did not see the end of. On the right side of the hallway Harry saw large windows looking out to the courtyard. The left side of the hall was something he'd never seen before. The walls looked to be solid brick built but at the same time they seemed to be made of glass. Gregory was taking the tour so fast Harry had no time to peek inside the many rooms they passed. First was supposedly a large ballroom, followed by a sitting room, dining room, the kitchen, and a family room followed by several bedrooms and the master bedroom. That's when they arrived back in the centre room, now entering it from the opposite side. Gregory the crossed the room diagonally, to take the doorway on the other side. Once again a hallway loomed in front with a wall of windows on the left side, showing little of the outside scenery, as the storm and downpour obscured the view. This side of the castle offered rooms such as a meeting room, a battle room, a weapons room and several warden rooms. When Gregory mentioned another moving room, he finally stopped the house elf and asked for an explanation.

"Gregory, just a moment. Can you tell me about these moving rooms. What do they do ? Are they moving around the castle ?"

"Oh no, Master. These rooms will take you up or down."

"You mean there are stairs in the rooms so you can move from floor to floor."

"Yes, master, that they are."

"Oh, in that case, can we go down a floor to see those prison cells ?"

"No, Master, there are no prison cells, as you have no prisoners."

"I understand. For now there is only this floor. If I bring either guests or prisoners, an extra floor appears underneath to accommodate them all, and when more come, another floor adds. Is that it, Gregory ?"

Clearly relieved the young master finally understood, Gregory nodded his consent. Harry had another question however.

"Can you tell me how many rooms there can be in the castle ?"

"It was told among the house elves that Master Valdemar once housed six hundred prisoners and still had room left. But there will be as many as needed."

This finally made Harry speechless. Six hundred rooms and more as you would surely need a warden for every so many prisoners. The idea was mind-boggling.

By now they were back in the centre room, once again entering the room from the opposite side. Dobby obviously had recovered only a little of the shock of seeing a house elf ghost so Harry made his way over to him and told him that he thought that Gregory was a very dedicated elf, deciding to become a ghost so he could pass on the important information. This cheered Dobby up and Harry, seeing how eager Gregory was to go to Black Manor, and finally being able to leave his not so mortal coil behind, asked Gregory if there was anything other that needed saying.

"I only need to pass on the house elf knowledge."

"In that case, Dobby, do you mind to receive this knowledge ? I need to think about what to do with the Castle a bit and you can pass on the information to the next castle elves when the time comes."

Having received Dobby's agreement, Gregory muttered something in a language Harry couldn't understand, and suddenly the two elves were glowing. Gregory as a ghost looked like a luminous cloud of fog surrounded him. Dobby had a strange silver glowing halo around his entire body. It didn't last for very long but afterwards Dobby had a reverent look about him. After thanking Gregory for his help, he sent the ghost on his way to Black Manor. Harry had decided to ask Mr Black a few more questions regarding the castle, certain that man, having spent most of the first 18 years of his life living in the castle, would be able to explain in full detail the workings of the curious building.

As it was by now close to 11 o'clock, Harry sent off Dobby to Grimmauld Place, so he could recuperate from his shock of seeing a supposedly disgraced house elf and send Remus to meet with Harry at the Leaky Cauldron, as was agreed earlier that morning. Knowing Diagon Alley would be a lot busier by now, Harry apparated just outside the Leaky Cauldron and quickly made his way in. The pub wasn't very crowded as London was enjoying glorious weather so no one paid particular attention to the new arrival. He walked up to the bar and greeted Tom, the bartender, ordered a glass of pumpkin juice and asked for a private dinning room for 14 for a lunch around 1 o'clock.

Harry had just finished draining his glass of delicious juice when Remus came in.

"There you are. Did your visit go well ? Did you find what you wanted ?"

"Oh yes, Remus, more than I expected. I can't wait to show you !"

"You can show me tonight, first we have to see Paul."

Remus and Harry made their way back through the bar into the little courtyard. Before opening up the wall to get into Diagon Alley, Remus opened his robe and took out a familiar looking cloak.

"I knew the Leaky Cauldron would be mainly empty at this time of day but the Alley will be different. It's just a precaution and Paul's office is not that far."

"All's clear, Lupin, Potter" came Mad-Eye's voice from nowhere.

"Thanks Mad-Eye" said Remus and Harry quickly disappeared under his dad's old invisibility cloak.

To the many onlookers Remus Lupin came through the Leaky Cauldron entrance on his own and he made his way down Diagon Alley bypassing all the shops, and only to stop in front of a small shop next to Ollivander's.

Upon entering, they ended up in a small hall with to the right a hallway leading to the back. Remus started walking down the hallway, which to Harry's amazement had a collection of doors one next to the other. Each door looked completely different from the one next to it, some were painted, again each one a different colour, and some were ornately carved, some plain, and a shabby looking one stood right next to a highly polished expensive looking one. They must have passed by some thirty doors when Remus stopped in front of a simple pale wooden one. The stood for a moment and Harry heard Mad-Eye say "All is clear within, Lupin. I'll return to the front area and wait for you there." Remus nodded in the general direction of where Mad-Eye was supposed to be and then whispered "Leave your cloak on for a moment, Harry. I want to be sure also that all's OK with Paul and his colleague before you make your presence known."

After Harry's whispered "OK", Remus knocked on the door and entered upon the "Come in" they heard from inside. With practiced ease, as if Remus was used on a daily basis to travel with an invisible partner, Remus managed to stage his entrance so that Harry had plenty of time to slip in behind Remus.

The spacious room they entered into housed three large desks, of which only two were occupied. To one side two simple desks stood, one occupied by a familiar looking woman. And it wasn't until a cat much like Mr Filch's Mrs Norris jumped on her desk that Harry registered her uncanny likeness to said Hogwarts' caretaker.

On the other side of the room, in the far corner a very ornate desk stood, occupied by a younger man, Harry guessed him to be in his early thirties. He'd gotten up when Remus entered and was making his way over, smiling, hand outstretched, ready to shake hands and welcoming Remus to the office.

He was of average height, had dirty-blonde hair, cut stylishly, and appeared to be just as skinny as Remus. Contrary to that man, Mr Watkins was dressed in very fine clothing and was obviously better off financially than Remus had been before he inherited Sirius' money.

"Remus, you are looking well. Welcome to our office. I hope all is well ?"

"Yes, Paul, I, or better someone needs your help and advice on some legal matters. It's regarding the Black estate."

"The Black estate, as in your friend Sirius Black ? Oh Remus, I'm sorry. You must miss him dreadfully." said Paul, clearly aware of the friendship between the two old schoolmates.

"I do miss him, he left me some money but best of all, he left me a title !"

"A title ?" asked the lady puzzled.

Both Remus and Paul looked in her direction, and she blushed when she realised she had indirectly admitted she'd been listening in on the conversation. But Remus was laughing when he said "That's alright, Mrs Figg. You would have found out the details anyway. It wasn't a well known fact that Sirius was named godfather to the son of his best friend."

Mrs Figg caught on real quick and exclaimed, "Not Harry Potter !"

"Got it in one, Mrs Figg. As Harry's godfather, Sirius left him his entire family estate, and declaring him legally of age, but he did appoint a guardian, in an advisory capacity."

"Does the young man know of your condition, Remus ?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself, Paul, Mrs Figg ?"

Harry took this as his cue to take off the invisibility cloak and Remus continued speaking.

"I'm sorry I wasn't straightforward with you from the moment we entered, but I wanted to be absolutely sure you were you, and that the office was 'clean'. I'm not taking any chances where the well being of my godson is concerned."

"Yes, so much so, he's even forbidden me from drinking butterbeer or eating sweets once I return to Hogwarts !" added Harry cheekily. Standing closest to the woman Harry walked over, hand outstretched, and said "I believe you are Mrs Figg, if I followed the conversation correctly. I am Harry Potter, pleasure to meet you, madam."

Mrs Figg, still in slight shock at seeing THE Harry Potter, shook hands automatically. Harry took the few steps in the direction of Remus' friend and shook his hand.

"To answer your earlier question, Mr Watkins, I do know of your shared condition. I've known about Remus for nearly three years. I am puzzled though. Mrs Figg, you look remarkably like …"

Before Harry could continue, Mrs Figg, now back to her observant self, finished Harry's sentence with "like Argus, my baby brother of all of ten minutes. Yes, Mr Potter I am Mr Filch's twin sister, as big a squib as he is, but the opposite in anything else." The three men smiled along with her and Harry, now pointing at the cat on the desk, once again started to ask about that, when Mrs Figg filled in the remaining puzzle pieces in Harry's mind. "Argus' Mrs Norris and my Felix are from the same litter of kneazles that my sister-in-law bred."

"You know Mrs Figg from Little Whinging ?"

"Why, yes, I do Mr Potter, Arabella and I were married to brothers, who both passed away quite a few years ago. We visit on a regular basis." And, as if she too connected two separate pieces of a puzzle, this Mrs Figg exclaimed "You were the boy she moved to Little Whinging for ! She said she'd moved there to be closer to the child of friends who'd passed away, but I never once thought that would be you !"

Mr Watkins brought back the conversation to more office like topics by asking after the business they wanted to discuss. After showing them the "Ghost Writer Quill", a quill much like Rita Skeeter's Quick Quotes Quill, the pair explained it was used in legal practice because it was the most reliable to write what was said. It was named a Ghost Quill as it was first invented for use by ghosts, but they never took off. The squibs discovered however, that with the assistance from a wizard upon the first use, they could activate them on their own, which made the quills big hits with squibs instead.

Harry and Remus then explained the situation in some detail and it was after a few moments that Mr Watkins summarised the details.

"So, if I understand correctly, Fudge forced the goblins to give out money to known or suspected death eaters, against the will of the deceased and with the heir in jail without trail. On top of that, rather than giving money to all relatives, he even left one out ? And that was after the goblins fought back because Fudge had wanted to sign over Sirius' possessions to his mother and two cousins ?"

"Yes, Mr Watkins, that's it in a nutshell. I'd like to contest this very much but I believe that as long as Sirius has not been cleared any action we undertake will backfire. At the same time I'd like to request compensation from Fudge on behalf of Mrs Tonks as she was wilfully neglected in this whole farce.

I would also like to find out if I can legally set up an allowance for Mr and Mrs Tonks, as well as for auror Tonks, as they are Black family, without it damaging the case against Fudge."

"All this will take some research on my behalf, Mr Potter, as I believe you also have a limited time space after accepting an inheritance in which to contest cases like these."

"I expected as much anyway, Mr Watkins. Whether or not we can bring this to court, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to be the legal representative, spokesperson, as well as the ears and eyes for the Black estate, for the time being. I have another two years at school and cannot as yet look out for everything on my own. With Gringotts and Griphook in particular managing the financial side, Dobby the house elf the practical side, you for the legal side and Remus along for the moral support, I think that I won't let the original Black family motto down. Upon my coming of age, next year, the Potter estate will most likely be in need of legal support as well."

"Mr Potter, just to be certain I understand what you offer, what did you have in mind for us to do ?"

"In general, I'd like it if you could 'educate' me in wizarding law. I will be reading up on what appears in the newspaper, but being brought up by muggles, I lack a lot of basic understanding of certain issues. So I would appreciate it if you could send me, say on a weekly basis, comments on things that appeared in the news that effect wizarding society in general, giving me the background to the whole situation.

On the other hand, there are a few projects I'm thinking of starting up, and again would need legal advice on those. Also, being 'cooped up' at Hogwarts, so to speak, some news would arrive too late for me to act upon, so I'd need someone who knows in general lines what I want, and can act upon them for me, someone knowledgeable about the consequences of taking or not taking action, even if it's only to object on my behalf and ask for a rescheduling of certain actions so I can have a look at things.

And last but not least I'd need someone to prepare the cases, both in defence of Sirius' innocence as in regard to the Fudge case. Who knows, we might just be lucky to catch Pettigrew. Together with the letter from my father I found in the Potter vault today, it might just be the proof needed to clear Sirius' name."

"You found a letter from James in your Potter vault, Harry ?" asked a shaken Remus.

"Yes, there was a letter from both of them. I'll show it to you tonight. It does contain a paragraph on the Fidelius charm, but the rest is too personal to be made public though."

Mr Watkins interrupted them.

"Mr Potter, you talked of an Auror Tonks ? If you trust this person, you could already start the process by asking this auror for the best way to proceed. You might have enough proof with just the letter. I am sure that if you take this through the correct channels, you'll be able to contact the right people in the auror department. Let them contact me for any additional legal advice or assistance of any kind should they be in need of it.

And if you doubted it, yes, Mr Potter, I will gladly be representative and spokesperson and everything else, for the Black estate and you. "

"Very good, Mr Watkins, I'll advise Gringotts you have taken the estate and me as your clients. Your contacts there would be Griphook, who was recently promoted to Black estate account manager, as well as Schmegg, Head of the bank. They promised full cooperation in the case against Fudge."

After Mr Watkins promised to send Harry updates on a regular basis on what his research unearthed, and also a first comment on current wizarding events, they said their goodbyes. Harry once again disappeared underneath his invisibility cloak and Remus and himself made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. Once in the private dinning room, Remus quickly went to Grimmauld Place to pick up the others. Mad-Eye who had rejoined them once they'd retuned in Diagon Alley, stayed back with Harry and was busy scanning the room for any 'foul play'.

It was just gone one o'clock when everybody arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, and by two they were eager to hit Diagon Alley for their shopping trip. Dobby arrived when he was called for, and with Harry now in full view, but surrounded by his friends, they were on their way.

As agreed beforehand, the first visit was straight to Gringotts bank, where Harry not only introduced Remus to both Griphook and Schmegg but he also informed them that he'd spoken with Mr Paul Watkins who had agreed to be his legal representative. Schmegg congratulated Harry on his choice as the few times they'd had dealings with the man, the goblins had been most impressed by his knowledge and conduct.

Next stop was at Madame Malkin's. With Harry planning to buy an entire new wardrobe they could have their sizes taken now, and when the rest of their shopping was done, simply return to pick up the ordered clothes. Some twenty minutes later they all headed to Flourish and Blotts, next to Madam Malkin's and Harry reminded them to hand their chosen books, however many they wanted, to either Dobby or himself, but not to attempt to put the books in the bag themselves. To make things easier, they first made their way through the bookshop per subject so that they all picked up the necessary course books. After that everybody returned to their favourite subjects to peruse the titles in more details. As per Mr Teague's recommendation they asked after the Encyclopaedia Magica and found that the currently sold edition was only six months old. The self updating version was very expensive but the store clerk mentioned it was worth the money as it was far more detailed and would be a once in a life time buy. Even if an entirely new volume would be published, would the self updating encyclopaedia be expanded. Harry decided to splash out and buy himself a self updating set. After all, the book bag would cut down the cost some, and both the Potter and the Black library held only old copies, in case of the Black library there were even several sets. After looking through the DADA section and choosing several books, Harry also found an interesting looking book on animagi. After checking with everyone to make sure no other purchases were needed Dobby finally took the book bag over to the counter and Harry was looking on from the side to see the reaction of the store clerk. The Book Bag itself drew a first reaction but that was quickly hidden. When the tally was made and the total purchase sum appeared Harry had a hard time to keep himself from laughing out loud. With probably close to 300 books in the bag, of which several rather pricey, the total amount had to add up most likely near a thousand galleons, even with the bonus discount. And those Book bags looked so inconspicuous !

Dobby went to Grimmauld Place to deposit the book bag, but he returned as they were making their way through the Stationary shop. They bought lots of parchments, ink and quills and when Harry spotted a Ghost Quill he decided to buy one for Mr Black. That way Mr Black could keep in contact while Harry was at Hogwarts and would even be able to write down some of his many stories.

As they were strolling down Diagon Alley, looking at or visiting a few of the shops along the way the twins sidled up to Harry and motioned at a boarded up shop. "Harry," whispered Fred, "we need your view on a dilemma we have."

"There is this shop we were going to rent and start our business from, but there was a bit of delay, as the owner just died, so we are awaiting further news." continued George.

"The trouble is," Fred took over, "it's not all that great a shop. Location is ideal, shop size is too and it comes with an apartment above, but it has no space to allow us to make the produce."

"There was a second location, at Hogsmeade, great storage area, great working space, large apartment, but the shop is minute and Hogsmeade is only busy when Hogwarts lets out." came once again from George.

And as if choreographed and practiced a million times, they continued in unison "We don't know which one to go for, Harry. What is your idea ?"

"You need to concentrate to make these jokes, right ? And you need to be together to pull off some of these things ?" When the twins nodded, Harry continued "Does Lee Jordan have a job, or plans that you know of ?"

The two looked at each other and came out "You mean take on both ?"

"Exactly !" nodded Harry. "Install Lee, or anyone you trust, in the shop here with the accommodation, and you two install yourself at Hogsmeade. Plenty of time to produce the stock needed for both shops and maybe an owl order system, and on a Hogsmeade weekend you get to man the shop. Think it over, do your sums, and if you decide to go for it and need extra funds, just let me know. And if you want, I could ask the Black estate manager at Gringotts to keep an eye out for your business and have him give you some tips and so."

They visited the Magical Menagerie to pick up various pet treats, and realised they'd forgotten to ask Mr Teague for a required potion supplies list so had no need to visit the Apothecary when they made their way back to Madam Malkin's. When told the order wasn't completed just yet, they decided to have an ice cream while waiting. Mr Fortescue himself came out to take their order and he, like most other people they'd seen for the past few hours, was smiling when he spotted Harry.

"Thank you Mr Potter, for bringing out the truth. What can I get you on this fine summer's day ?"

In no time Mr Fortescue brought out their order and the group sat and enjoyed the treat. Harry was happily enjoying his ice cream and was watching the other people out and about when a dreaded feeling creeped up on him.

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Author's Note :

Again thank you for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page). There are also a few extra files with very amateurish drawings of the floor plan of a few locations, and pictures of 'inspiration'.

Have a nice weekend all.

kadedeetje


	20. Chapter 19

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

Author's Note : Sorry for the delay in posting. Both the past two weeks and those coming up are quite busy and I doubt I'll be able to post next week.

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**19 Gathering news**

He didn't need to look very far to have his suspicions confirmed. Everybody in his party, but one, was still laughing and joking. Ginny however, sitting next to him, who'd been rosy-cheeked and grinning moments earlier, now looked pinched and pale and was staring out as if dazed, a spoon full of ice cream apparently forgotten.

"Sorry, guys, but the party is over. There are dementors coming." interrupted Harry.

Remus looked up, saw both Ginny and him looking the worse for wear, and took out his wand, whispered a few words Harry couldn't make out and the next moment a small silvery white vapour escaped from Remus' wand, quickly disappearing off in the air.

Mrs Weasley, Luna and Neville were warning as many people around as possible, but it was Remus, casting a sonorous, who made the announcement so everybody in and around Diagon Alley could hear.

"Attention everyone, can anyone who attended either of the Defence classes, with knowledge of the patronus, however feeble at the moment, please stay behind. All the others, especially children, please go inside, try to leave the Alley. We have dementors and possibly Death Eaters coming."

Harry was pleasantly surprised everyone was following instructions quickly and in a calm manner. A few people came to join them, some muttering the incantation as if to make sure they wouldn't forget. Mr Fortescue came out too and started handing out pieces of chocolate. Harry quickly grabbed a piece and handed it to Ginny.

"Here, Ginny, eat this now, it'll help a little." said Harry, pulling her closer to him, and turning to the others "Don't forget, think of anything positive, the more things the better, be it the smile of your wife, the smell of cut grass, the feel of the sun on your face, or the love in your heart. We'll manage just fine." And Harry silently asked his parents and Sirius for help. If he could spread his anti-dementor to all those around them with even only the slightest wisp of patronus they would stand a good chance until the aurors came.

And then the first dementors arrived, clearly surprised to find so few people around. Knowing the people weren't all that safe inside the shops, Harry smiled when he suddenly felt the warmth spreading through his being and he cast his patronus. Prongs was bigger and brighter than ever as he erupted from the tip of Harry's wand. Soon a whole silver white array of animals was attacking the dementors and Harry noticed to his shock that the dementors did not retreat in time but they simply went up in a puff of smoke as Prongs and some of the others hit them. Another thing to write in his diary.

The first aurors appeared a few looking on in amazement as they saw the last of the dementors go up in smoke. Fortunately, several of the aurors had remained vigilant, most likely trainees under Mad-Eye, thought Harry, and had set up wards and barriers so that when a group of some twenty Death Eaters popped into existence the auror force with the element of surprise still firmly on their side, were quick to unarm and capture them.

And so before it had well and truly started, the Death Eaters were transported away and the dementors were all gone. Those who'd helped out were astonished. Someone who'd never produced more than a white vapour now had come up with a strong full-bodied patronus. They'd all experienced the warmth flooding them and hearing loved ones laughing and joking. The shoppers seeing as how the coast was clear came pouring out of the shops, equally elated at what they'd experienced and seen.

Harry suddenly realised he still had his arm around Ginny, and slowly, reluctantly, let her go, now blushing as much as any Weasley.

Remus once again became the voice of reason, and urged his little group back to Grimmauld Place. "It's going to be a mad house pretty soon, and the press and ministry will want explanations. Why don't you all go ahead and return and Mrs Weasley and I will do the explaining. Kingsley Shacklebolt came as part of the rescue auror delegation and is still here, so I'll fill him in on the details."

They realised Remus was right and so Neville's gran, Hermione's parents and the seven students made their way back to Grimmauld Place, where Winky awaited them with a fine spread of much needed tea and scrumptious chocolates. With the adrenaline of a successful defence still coursing through their veins tea became quite an animated affair, until suddenly, they all fell silent, much like a deflating hot air balloon.

By the time Mrs Weasley and Remus returned they had recovered enough to talk once again, especially as Mr and Mrs Granger had asked for an explanation. Harry, remembering that Dudley had felt the dementor presence but not been able to see them, explained the situation to the wizards but leaving Hermione to explain about them to her parents.

More tea and chocolates were provided for Mrs Weasley, Tonks, Mad-Eye and Remus when they returned and the group spent another half hour comparing stories, until both Mr Weasley and Dobby appeared. Mr Weasley's agitated state quickly evaporated when he found his family all accounted for and in good spirits. Dobby announced dinner would be ready in fifteen minutes so they all took the opportunity to refresh and change from their outfits.

Later that night, as Harry was preparing himself for bed, he looked back at the unexpected end to an unexpected day.

It had started when Harry and his friends had been seated at the table, ready for dinner. One of the younger and newest recruits to the order had arrived, quickly followed by several others. Remus solved the awkward problem by inviting them to stay for dinner. It was a good thing that Dobby and Winky took the challenge of unexpectedly providing many more mouths with food with such ardour as by the time dinner ended, the original party of fourteen had more than doubled to thirty, most newcomers young order members.

Harry learned a little about the way the order worked that day. It seemed that most new recruits as well as some of the older ones were working as either an auror or a ministry employee. Grimmauld Place, or Order HQ as it was also known, was used as the debriefing place for the members, reporting whatever they figured was off or strange in their particular domain. Hearing another piece in a puzzle might just make the difference between having trouble and being able to solve the problem before it became a full-blown catastrophe.

But with the unpleasant situation at the house, nobody had ever bothered hanging around much. After the house had been closed down, many assumed for refurbishments, and the place had looked so inviting, people had started to linger, especially aided by the well-stocked fridge, a bonus many of the younger single order members had taken to very well. The house was starting to resemble a social club more than anything, as Tom Winters had explained. The very first evening the house had been reopened, he had arrived after a hard day out on the street. The weather was brilliant, and it had left him parched, so, as a reflex he'd opened the cool box in the kitchen searching for a drink when he'd spotted the pan of food. He'd served himself a portion and heated it up, and was still in the process of eating when two other order members had arrived, partaking in the feast, as had he. Word of the food provided had quickly spread among the order members so now not even two weeks later, usually between fifteen and twenty order members showed up each evening, lingering far longer than the debriefing required.

They had still been seated at the kitchen table, even though dinner was long gone, when Kingsley Shacklebolt had arrived. He told them about the captured Death Eaters being very new and young recruits. They had all been questioned under veritaserum, and one had actually thanked the aurors for capturing him. He'd been heavily pushed to join, with the fate of his younger sister as a strong incentive. Being locked up shortly at least gave him the knowledge he'd done nothing harmful, today's attack being his first action as a Death Eater. Kingsley confirmed that indeed the man had a young sister, about to attend Hogwarts as a first year. The family had been informed and would be going for an extended holiday, only returning when school started again.

The interrogations also answered the question several order members had had. Unlike their fear that Harry's presence at Diagon Alley had been reported, the attack had been prepared and planned, and it was only bad timing that had the death eaters show up when Harry and his friends were around.

The aurors had continued to talk about the death eater attacks and their tactics to send dementors ahead to weaken the victims, to which Kingsley had reported the latest news. One of the men who'd helped with a patronus at Diagon Alley that afternoon, had returned home to his wife and two small children. While still recounting the story, he'd started to feel all cold and had recognised the feeling from the Alley. He'd warned the aurors, sent his wife and kids over to the Leaky Cauldron and together with the one auror had been able to conjure a patronus and dispose of the attacking dementors. Once again, two death eaters had appeared after the auror, and they too had been captured.

"It seems that somehow he's become extra sensitive to them and is at the same time able to combat them because of a "warm feeling" he's gotten since this afternoon. The "warm feeling" and "hearing my wife laugh", or a variation to that last, seem to be a major contribution to the overall success. People reported attending the defence class only yesterday, barely managing to produce a whiff of silvery stuff, but today managed a full corporeal patronus. That "warm feeling" seems to be a powerful spell or charm and it's given lots of people hope they can after all get rid of Lord Voldemort and his death eaters."

Harry had remembered something the head centaur at Black Manor had said when they'd met. Something like "The warmth will be spreading with the hope." He decided to start paying more attention to what the centaurs at Hogwarts were saying, that much was certain.

With the serious stuff well talked about the subject changed to education, OWLs and NEWTs and more specific Hogwarts. Since most had attended that school at once stage or another many hilarious stories came out, some even rivalling those of the twins. But the students also received a few tips on how to survive the coming NEWT years, regular work and study being the backbone of success.

It had been quite late when the first order members started leaving for the evening and soon everyone was getting ready for bed. Harry figured he'd have trouble sleeping after the eventful day but in truth he was out like a light the moment his head touched the pillow.

It was quite late when Harry awoke and by the time he made it down for breakfast it was just gone nine o'clock. He found both Remus and Tonks sipping tea in the kitchen.

"Good morning sleepy head" smiled Remus at him.

"Morning, Harry" added Tonks.

"Good morning, Remus, Tonks. Have you had breakfast yet ?" he said, as he made his way to the cool box.

Remus answered negatively. "We only just woke up ourselves."

Harry served himself a glass of juice he found in the fridge and asked if they too wanted a bowl of fruit salad to start their day. Just as they sat down to start their salad, Dobby winked into existence in the kitchen and quickly started on the preparation of a more traditional breakfast.

Harry was eating slowly, allowing him the time to talk a little.

"Remus, we have to go back to Diagon Alley today. We still have to pick up our clothes at Madame Malkin and pay Mr Fortescue for the ice cream. Would it be all right if I just popped over by myself. I won't be gone for long. Or, if either of you are available, you could come for extra safety ?"

"I'll come along, Harry, if that's OK with you. It's highly unlikely that anything would happen but this way we'd be a lot happier."

"No, it's fine, Tonks. Especially after yesterday it won't hurt to have anyone around, even if it is to help carry the packages." retorted Harry.

They were all three smiling and returned to their bowl of salad.

"Remus, does Tonks know where we are staying ?"

"I haven't told her, Harry."

"So you won't have asked her yet, either."

"Have I asked Tonks what, Harry ?"

"Guys," interrupted a very curious Tonks, "I'm right here. You could try addressing me directly !"

"Alright, Tonks, do you think your mum and dad might like to visit Black Manor again ? And would you ?"

"Black Manor ?" squealed Tonks, "Is that where you've been ? Can I come please, I'd love to see the place again. Is Blythe still there ? And you'll invite mum ? She'll love it. Uncle would invite us over several times a year and we'd stay the weekend. He was very nice, but then, after Sirius landed in Azkaban he changed. I don't really know what happened to him. And then he died. I remember my mum was very sad when she heard. But that was a long time ago. Oh, you'll make her so happy ! She loved the place."

"Well, that sure answers my questions. Don't worry Tonks, I'll make sure to send out an invitation in the next few days. And you, do you have any holidays coming up, Tonks ? If you wanted, you could join us."

"That will be wonderful, Harry. Just let me know when and I'll be there."

By now Dobby had the rest of breakfast ready and they tucked in. Soon enough the rest of the guests made their way downstairs and while they started on breakfast, Harry and Tonks took the opportunity to return to Diagon Alley.

- - - - - -

Author's Note (2):

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

See you in TWO WEEKS.

cheers

kadedeetje


	21. Chapter 20

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**20 There may be trouble ahead**

Harry's return to Diagon Alley did not go totally without mishaps.

They'd made it in and out of Fortescue's in no time, even though Mr Fortescue at first had not wanted to hear about Harry paying for the ice they'd eaten the day before on account of Harry saving everybody, again. But Harry had quickly countered that he would not have been able to do it alone, that many others had helped and that Mr Fortescue did not offer them free ice ! Mr Fortescue had finally given in with a smile.

The visit to Madame Malkin's on the other hand had started innocently enough. Harry had crossed the street to the clothes shop and had entered. There seemed to be no other customers about, as a matter of fact, there was no one to be seen.

A voice from the back, Harry recognized it as Madame Malkin herself, called out.

"Good morning, I'll be with you in just a moment."

The moment she appeared from the back of the shop Harry wished her a good morning and continued on without giving her an opportunity to respond.

"Madame Malkin, my apologies for not returning yesterday to pick up our extensive order. After all that unpleasantness we just wanted to return home and picking up clothes got pushed far to the back of our priorities."

"Nonsense, Mr Potter. There is no need to apologize. It was quite understandable. Will you be taking just yours, or all the clothes that were ordered in your party ?"

"I'll take them all, it will be so much easier. How much do I owe you for them."

Madame Malking added up the individual totals and as Harry was counting the money she returned to the back of the store and came back with an armful of bags. She dropped them on the counter and returned to the back four times more, each time carrying several bags. She was making small talk as she tapped each bag, shrinking them down to pill-box sized little bags and putting them in a very nice silk pouch, stamped with the shop's logo and name.

"All the bags are labeled with the customer's name. Ten seconds after you remove the bags from the pouch, they'll enlarge to their original size. Twenty-four hours after the bag is emptied it returns to our storage room, so you'll need not worry to bring it back. It is very good of you to return so quickly but there was no hurry to pick these clothes up. I would have sent you a reminder about them by the end of the holidays anyway."

Harry laughed at the notion. After all he'd bought quite a few casual clothes so he would be able to get rid of his cousin's large hand-me-downs for good.

"There might not be the need to hurry on your side, Madame Malkin, but the only decent clothes I have are a pair of jeans and a few shirts Remus bought me a week ago. I don't think I would appreciate it having nothing else to wear than that."

"Remus, you don't mean Remus Lupin ?"

"Why yes, Madame Malkin. He's my guardian since my godfather passed away."

"But, Mr Potter, he's a werewolf ! And they are all dangerous."

"Madame Malkin ! The way you speak, makes me think you believe all wizards are bad, because of Voldemort and his band of death eaters. Surely you realize that there are good as well as bad people, no matter what they might be. I personally have met and know six 'werewolves' and I must admit that on the night of the full moon I wouldn't want to come across any of them, but the other days of the month, these six men are the finest of men. I realize I don't know any other ones, but because there might be a few bad apples in the pile, are you going to throw them all out ?

Remus is the best thing that could have happened to me. For the first time in my life I have someone who'll look out for me, not because I'm the boy-who-lived, but because I'm the son of his best friends and he cares for me. He's my family !"

Madame Malkin was speechless at the quick defense the boy had for the werewolf. Harry on the other hand, having spent most of his sudden anger, apologized, remembered to pick up the silk pouch and bid her a farewell, leaving her with much to ponder.

Tonks, still under her invisibility cloak had difficulty to keep up with him and only just made it out of the shop without being noticed. She caught up with him halfway to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Oh Harry, that was a wonderful thing to say. But you are wrong, you know. Remus isn't the only one. A lot of people might start out seeing you as the boy-who-lived, but once they get to know Harry, they like you despite the title."

Harry had now cooled off completely and even felt a little foolish for his outburst. "I know, Tonks, a lot more people care, but they all have their own family. Remus and I were on our own, and now we're family, together ! You have no idea how good that feels."

Tonks didn't know how to reply to Harry's statement so the two made their way to the Leaky Cauldron apparition point in complete silence. Harry's mood picked up greatly when he arrived back at Grimmauld Place. Both Ginny and Hermione were waiting for them. Hermione was especially keen to get her hands on the books she'd purchased yesterday and they were still packed away in the Book bag. Ginny was keeping her company all the while trying to calm down her friend a little. Hermione's words reminded Harry of the moving boxes he still had to unpack but the practicalities of that unpacking and then moving the lot over to Black Manor made him suggest moving back to Black Manor before unpacking would start.

The four of them made their way back to the kitchen where they found the others still seated and talking. Since Harry wanted to have a quick look through the boxes in the attic before moving out he asked if 11 o'clock would suit everyone to move back to Black Manor. That left them with a little over an hour to get ready. After letting Remus know where he'd be Harry made his way up to the top floor and found both Dobby and Winky at work sorting through the boxes and through the glass wall separating the attic room from the hothouse he could see Blythe with an ecstatic look on her face busily working amongst the plants.

Dobby and Winky were able to tell Harry that this was where the every-day possessions and clothes from the previous masters were stored. Dobby took him to a small pile of boxes to the right. Upon closer inspection Harry could see some kind of label on the box, clearly giving Sirius' name, his date of birth and the date he died. The large pile next to it belonged to Sirius' dad who passed away in 1983, only some 18 months after Sirius was hauled off to Azkaban.

"Could you move both the boxes belonging to Sirius and his dad over to Black Manor, please ? Remus and I will have a look through those ourselves. As a project for when I'm back at Hogwarts, you could maybe sort through the others and indicate which boxes contain clothes and which boxes contain other items, then Remus could have a look through those. You never know, there might be more hidden treasure !" laughed Harry.

Dobby and Winky agreed and even before Harry had made the few steps to the hothouse the first boxes had disappeared. The moment Blythe noticed the presence of Harry in the hothouse she started raving about how good and kind Master Harry was for allowing her to work with all these extra wonderful plants. Harry just reminded her not to overdo things and that there was no hurry in restoring it. Everybody in the house would enjoy the place, even as it was now.

Harry walked down the stairs to his bedroom, packed the little he'd used back in his overnight bag and made his way downstairs to the tapestry room to wait for the others.

Mrs Longbottom had decided to return home for now, but she would be at Black Manor for the weekend. Mr and Mrs Granger were going home too, as they still had ten days before their holiday officially started. For the first week they'd booked a holiday for two by way of a second honeymoon but Harry was quick to invite them for the remaining two weeks of their time off work. Tonks really wanted to join them immediately but decided she would come out for the weekend instead.

And so the slightly smaller group made it back to Black Manor and after saying their hello's to Mr Black they headed up to their rooms to do some serious unpacking. Harry started to unpack the silk pouch from Madame Malkin's, knowing most of them would be his. He'd sorted the bags and wanted to start handing them out when Dobby appeared who tsk'ed at him and the bags all disappeared away, most likely straight into the new owner's wardrobe. Taking a good look around Harry noticed that all other purchases he'd made had been neatly unpacked. His bookcase by his desk now sported a big number of new books and at one end he clearly saw the box with his new stock of parchment. On top of his desk set the Ghost Quill he'd purchased for Mr Black.

"Dobby, I'm going to unpack the moving boxes now. Will you help me to hang up the two paintings from the Potter vault in here ? I was thinking that Mr Black might prefer to reside downstairs instead."

Dobby nodded his approval and Harry took the first of two moving boxes, tapped it as he was told and the box grew big again and opened up so he could take out the paintings of his parents and grandparents. Next were the Potter vault's booklist Griphook had made and the two letters from his parents and Harry immediately placed these in his secure drawer of the desk. The jewel box came next and was followed by a fair number of pictures. As if reading Harry's mind the house provided Harry with a box so he could safely store the pictures away for now.

The second moving box was restored to its proper size and Harry took out Mr Black's painting. Uncle Alphard was happy to see a complete new environment and Harry explained that this was the master bedroom of Black Manor.

"That place really exists then !" exclaimed Uncle Alphard.

"Oh yes," confirmed Harry, "Sirius' dad actually had access to the place but he never told anyone other than his cousin Andromeda and Sirius himself. Would you like a view outside, sir, while I continue to unpack the box. I won't be a minute."

"That would be lovely, Mr Potter, thank you."

"Oh, please call me Harry.

Dobby took hold of the portrait and walked it to the corner window. The house provided a small balcony, so Uncle Black had a good view of the surrounding garden and woods. Harry in the mean while had retrieved the animagus book, then got provided with several boxes so he could move all the pictures into them. He'd have to find a sorting spell of sorts in the library to bring order to these. The next compartment held the pensieve he still had to ask Mr Black about, and last not but least the Marauder Manual made it out.

"Harry," exclaimed Uncle Black, "what a beautiful garden outside. I can't wait to see the rest of this place."

"Ehm, sir, before we move downstairs, I'd like to warn you that an ancestor of yours has remained at the house as a ghost. He died just over 300 years ago, but he shares more than just Sirius' name."

Harry asked Dobby to take down the pensieve and the Ghost Quill while he would give Uncle Black a mini tour of the house. Dobby returned to his task to hang up the two paintings and would follow Harry down in a few moments. So Harry, surprisingly light portrait in hand, made his way outside his room and started showing off the property. Uncle Black had nothing but praise for the place. When Uncle Black saw the kitchen and the adjacent garden room he asked if it would be acceptable for the portrait to hang in there and Harry happily obliged but warned the man that until September the place was the heart of the house and would be very busy.

"Before Dobby affixes the portrait to the wall, I wanted to introduce you to your ancestor. I believe it might be better for that to take place in the study."

Harry took the portrait to the study and introduced the two men to each other. After having both of them answer him when talking to "Mr Black" twice in a row Harry suggested that maybe they could call Alphard "Uncle Black" to make the distinction. The suggestion was met with approval and Harry left the two men to talk, as Mr Black had obviously never met Uncle Black.

Harry made his way back upstairs to see if Remus was available but he was not in his room. He found the man in his own bedroom, staring transfixed at the two portraits Dobby had just mounted to the wall.

"I'm sorry Remus, I meant to warn you about these."

Remus shook his head and gave Harry a small smile.

"That's OK, it's just … I presumed they were destroyed at Godric's Hollow when we couldn't find them. It's lovely to see them back. Too bad they won't ever be animated."

"I don't really mind. I'm used to muggle portraits and this way, … I don't know. It would have been nice, but I think I'd miss them even more in that case. Does that make sense ?"

"I believe it does, Harry, they would become 'more real' but you'd still not be able to touch and smell them. This way the portraits provide you with a better picture, and the rest you can fill in on your own."

"Yes, that's it really, I didn't think of it that way, but it's exactly what I meant to say."

"So anything else you picked up at the vaults ?"

"Yep, I also acquired an uncle."

"An uncle ?" asked Remus, flabbergasted. "How do you …?"

Harry laughed and explained about Uncle Alphard's portrait and continued by asking after a spell for picture sorting, showing Remus the two large boxes filled to the hilt with them.

Remus admitted not knowing any but suggested they raid the library at some point.

Next Harry showed the jewellery set he'd found with the HP initials and showed off the ring and watch. Remus was impressed and happy to find that it wasn't made of silver but platinum. He further suggested that the set would most likely have belonged to his great-grandfather Horatio Potter.

Harry mentioned the pensieve he'd found in the Black vault that belonged to Mr Black and then showed the letters his parents left him.

"Are you sure you want me to read these, Harry ? I can understand they are too personal."

"I wouldn't want to loose them, but I believe you need to read them too. There's a bit about you in dad's letter that I believe will put your mind a little more at ease."

They both took a seat by the fireplace and Remus, just like Harry, reread the letters several times, silent tears rolling down his face.

"Thank you Harry." sighed Remus. "You were correct in assuming it would be beneficial for me. All this time I've wondered why they didn't tell me about the switch and now I know. Not because they thought I was the spy, but because they didn't want to burden me even more."

The two sat for some time, both deep in thought, when Winky popped in to announce lunch was ready.

With Remus now just as melancholy as Harry had been earlier in the day, Harry made the effort to lift their mood.

"Thank you Winky, we'll be down in a moment. Come Remus, let's be happy, for them. We know they are happy and well wherever they are, and, for the first time in long, I believe we both are well on the way to be just as happy too."

They both smiled as they felt a wave of warmth wash over them and so arrived in the kitchen in a happy mood.

Lunch was a lively affair and they were discussing what they'd do that afternoon when an unknown owl came flying in and dropped a letter for Remus.

After a quick perusal, Remus said "It's from Paul, addressed to the both of us. What could that be about ?"

"Won't find out …" started George.

"… until you open it !" finished Fred.

Dear Remus, Mr Potter,

I'm sorry my first letter as your legal representative doesn't come with a better message, but I believe there may be trouble ahead.

- - - - - -

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, I've opened up a forum you can access from my profile page. Please don't be shy. I'll be checking at least once a day so you can expect an answer within 24-36 hours maximum.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

See you next week.

cheers

kadedeetje


	22. Chapter 21

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**21 Double Trouble ? **

Dear Remus, Mr Potter,

I'm sorry my first letter as your legal representative doesn't come with a better message, but I believe there may be trouble ahead.

Ever since I left my home to commence my education at Hogwarts, now almost 20 years ago, I have followed my late father's advice to keep myself up-to-date and well informed. As he has done the many years he practiced law I too have set aside time each week to keep myself abreast of anything happening in the magical world. I spend time studying the latest law cases and I do some research in the Ministry Library. Another source of information is the weekly talk I have with my school chum, who is now a journalist at the Daily Prophet. He has often been my source of additional information and, especially last year, been the provider of the real story behind the printed rubbish.

Thursday is our regular meeting day and we enjoy a meal and a good talk about lots of current affairs and topics. As he too knows of my condition he was very eager to share the latest news, fresh off the press so to speak.

It appears that his (not well loved) colleague Rita Skeeter has been snooping around Diagon Alley this morning and has returned to base with a scoop on how you, Mr Potter, have acquired yourself a new guardian, and a werewolf to boot. The story, as my friend was able to relate, would be that you have fiercely defended your new guardian and even gone so far as to say he's the best thing that ever happened to you.

Knowing her style of journalism (if you can call it that) I thought it better to warn you ahead of time. No doubt she will twist the truth so much you'll hardly recognise the situation. Most likely it will be front-page news tomorrow !

Assuming you'll be able to get of hold of a copy of the paper yourselves, I'll send you a list of possible actions once I too have read the article and will await your instructions, if any, for further action.

With kind regards

Paul Watkins

PS I haven't told my friend of my connection with you, Mr Potter, although he is aware I know Remus. I would also like to vouch for him, knowing how frustrated he is most of the time at being heavily restricted in doing his job properly.

"Harry," said Remus worriedly, "what happened ? Why didn't you say something ? Does what Paul say make any sense ?"

"What Mr Watkins said sounds right but I dread to think how that Skeeter woman will twist it. It wasn't anything big or bad, Remus, really. It was just … Madame Malkin was just babbling while she was packing up our bags when she mentioned there was really no rush for me to pick them up so soon. To which I replied jokingly there was because the only decent clothes I have are those you bought last week. The conversation turned to you, I confirmed you're my guardian and she went off saying all werewolves are dangerous. That set me off saying it's like she means all wizards are bad because of Voldemort and his gang. "

"Well, there's nothing we can do until we read the article tomorrow. We can decide what to do then, OK ?"

"Sure. But they can't take your guardianship away, can they ?"

"Don't worry Harry, they can't. Sirius made sure of that. By making you legally of age in the eye of the Black estate, you no longer need a guardian for that. My status is in name only so the Ministry can't do anything about it. As for the Potter estate and for most of the rest of the magical society, Professor Dumbledore is your legal guardian until your 17th birthday next year. I don't think they can object to him, can they !" smiled Remus.

"I believe you Remus, but it sounds confusing. I think I'll ask Mr Watkins about this dual status of being both a minor and a legal adult. I wouldn't want to do something stupid without even realising it."

The others had been listening in on the conversation and now Fred and George wanted to lift the mood a bit.

"Yes, imagine adopting Draco Malfoy …" snickered Fred.

"… or promising to marry Pansy Parkinson." added George.

"Eww" came the predictable response from the three male Gryffindor youngsters. They set off on coming up with all sorts of wacky things you could unintentionally agree to leaving those around in a constant state of merriment.

"Yes, and if you are not careful, you might end up marrying your eldest son off to the eldest son of your friend by not getting it right !" came from the kitchen door.

Mr Black, closely followed by Dobby carrying Uncle Black's portrait made their way in. Ginny, curious to find out how someone could be marrying off his son to another boy, asked for further explanations.

"Ah, Ginny, it's all in the right terminology. The two men had been drinking rather heavily and one pledged his eldest child to be married to the other's eldest child. The other one, equally drunk agreed, not correcting the gender-less state of said first borns. The normal phrasing goes something like "my eldest son to marry your daughter" or vice versa, depending on the situation. It's a subject in the NEWT curriculum, if I'm not mistaken."

In the mean time Dobby was having a quiet conversation with Uncle Black to determine where the portrait would have the best position. Once firmly affixed to the wall, Mr Black made the introduction to his descendant. The living soon found out why Uncle Black had been one of Sirius' favourite family members. He possessed a keen intellect but also shared Sirius' sense of fun and humour.

They had been talking to Uncle Black for a while already when yet another unknown owl made his way over to Remus. Not recognising the handwriting Remus quickly scanned the note and informed them it came from Elijah Teague.

Hello Remus,

When Harry first asked for an additional portion of our werewolf potion, my friends said yes, as brewing a little extra is not a problem.

But it didn't dawn on me until just now that there is quite a bit more to it than just taking the one portion, in fact, there are three very different possibilities.

Assuming Harry wanted that potion for you, the main issue for now is for you to tell us of your previous intake of any type of 'anti-werewolf' potion (be it Wolfsbane or one of the other available potions). If you've had more than ten full moons worth of Wolfsbane since you became a werewolf, you'll need to start your first intake tonight.

It's a bit complicated to explain in full detail, especially when time is possibly short should you want to start on our alternative potion this month and you have indeed taken a lot of Wolfsbane potion.

Please send word with our owl. If you do require your potion today, I'll come to Black Manor at 9 o'clock tonight to show you where we live and explain in detail the workings of the potion.

Regards

Elijah Teague

Remus gave the note to Harry to read and hurried over to the study to write his reply. Just before Remus gave the note to the owl, Harry said :

"You do know you don't have to take this potion, don't you Remus ? I mean, it seemed like a good idea at the time …"

"I know Harry, and thanks for your concern. But what they said about the Wolfsbane potion is correct. And if you look at the four of them, they're in their sixties, but they don't look that old. I'm in my late thirties and I sometimes look older then they do. So there must be something beneficial in their potion. So don't worry. In fact I'm sort of looking forward to it. Surely it can't be as bad as Wolfsbane. That tastes and smells vile." laughed Remus.

Harry, feeling slightly better, nodded and they got themselves out to the quidditch pitch for a quick airing before tea and a catch up lesson with Mr Black.

They were all still sitting at the kitchen table when their new potion teacher came at 9 to pick up Remus. He explained that Remus would be gone for a while, since he'd need to take a cleansing potion in combination with the werewolf draught. It would leave him a bit fuzzy and so it was advised to stay put for that time. After saying goodnight to the two men, Harry was feeling a bit out of sorts.

Mr Black was able to take his mind of his worries when asking about Harry's visit to Black Castle. Harry told him of the impression he'd gotten from the short visit and confessed he'd need another visit at leisure to make more of it. Mr Black was able to confirm the double vision the master of the house had of the place, and while he had seen the place with several levels to accommodate all the guests in his younger days, in his lifetime the castle had never been used as a prison. Mr Black did however know that his grandfather had housed a small army of prisoners at some stage as a favour to a friend. The extra levels had not added height to the building as happened when lots of guests arrived, the prison floors had on the other hand appeared below ground.

The moving rooms that Harry thought to have stairs in them were a quite wonderful way of transport. From what Mr Black described they were a combination of a magical version of a muggle lift and a room of requirement. You got in the smallish room and it transported you to your desired floor. These moving rooms appeared as soon as an additional floor was added to the castle, which was why Harry didn't get to see and test them. From what Mr Black understood from his grandfather's stories of the month with prisoners, any of the moving rooms for the guests brought you up and down as required. However, on the 'prison floors' they worked differently. Any moving room would take you down to your correct floor, but if you needed to move up, that was a process of going up one floor at a time, and you needed to move to the next moving room. It was an ingenious way to confuse prisoners of their whereabouts.

Mr Black also expressed his surprise at the appearance of the house elf ghost but was happy to confirm that Gregory had moved on now he'd fulfilled his promises.

Harry also learned that Mr Black's pensieve had contained the memory of how he had set up the wards and inheritance charms, just in case his plans would have gone awry. Mr Black could only assume that either the memory had disappeared over time, or that it had vanished when his plans had worked so wonderfully well. When Harry asked about written records on Mr Black's work on the family charms, the man sheepishly admitted he'd destroyed his notes just before he passed away for fear his handiwork might be undone with the information on how they were built in the first place. When Mr Black admitted he regretted his inability to write as a ghost, Harry remembered the special quill he'd purchased and together they got it working for Mr Black. When Harry left the study a little while later an elated Mr Black had already started taking down his first notes.

To Harry's surprise it was already close to midnight and the others had gone up to bed. Sipping juice in the kitchen Harry stood undecided what to do. He really wanted to wait for Remus to return but was unsure how the man would take it. The decision was taken from him when Remus stumbled inside, looking tired but happy nevertheless. Luke Waverly helped him stay upright and was the one that answered Harry's question.

"Remus, are you alright ?"

"Now I know why he insisted to come back so soon. Yes, Harry, he is fine. Just very tired from the cleansing potion in combination with the werewolf draught he took. By tomorrow morning he'll be fine. This time will be the worst, when he starts the potion regime for the next full moon it'll be a little better and after a few full moons he'll be right as rain."

"Is that because the potion has to fight the strength the inner werewolf got from the Wolfsbane ?"

"Indeed, Harry. Someone who never had any werewolf potion before only requires two extra doses to begin with. Remus who had quite some Wolfsbane potion in the last years will need to take more potion over a longer period before he too will have enough with just the one portion per full moon cycle."

"OK. That makes sense. I better take him up to bed. Thanks for bringing him home, Luke."

"Don't mention it, Harry, it was the least we could do. Do you want help to get him upstairs ?"

Harry was about to accept when Dobby made an appearance.

"Dobby will move mister Remus to bed."

"Thank you Dobby, that would be a great help."

With Remus expertly popped into bed, Harry thanked Luke again and they said their goodnights. Before crawling into bed himself, Harry did quickly check on Remus all tucked into bed and sleeping peacefully.

That night Harry paid another visit to Sirius, Remus on the other didn't show up. Harry recounted the last days' happenings and what he feared to happen the next days. When Harry told him about the two paintings from the Potter vault, Sirius was able to tell him about the Potter tradition to have a painting of the whole family when the eldest child turned 16. That had been the summer Sirius had broken with his own family and was therefore included in the Potter family portrait. In view of the prophecy James and Lily had decided to have a painting made shortly after Harry's birth, just to be on the safe side. As Harry was telling him about the overheard conversation from that morning, Sirius was able to pick up on Harry's sudden realisation that he might not like it that he'd been replaced so quickly in his godson's affection and quickly set about reassuring him.

"Yes Harry, I can see how Remus would be so important to you so quickly. I'll be the conceited marauder, and know that you cared even more for me when I entered your life in your third year, but unlike Remus who only has his lycanthropy going against him, I came laden with problems. I was emotionally mixed up, physically not in the best state either and there was a prize on my head ! Even if things had worked out two years ago I am convinced we would both have needed Remus around to keep us going."

It was a content Harry who woke up early the next morning. Having vaguely touched the subject of his own demise Sirius had taken the opportunity to address Harry's mixed feelings. It had been disconcerting for the young man to realise that in some twisted way he was actually happy that Sirius had died. After all his godfather's death had set in motion an incredible series of fantastic events. Harry didn't have Voldemort snooping around in his mind and dreams anymore, he had been able to leave the Dursley's in record time and had acquired a real home that offered protection of an unheard of level and he was spending the best ever summer with his friends, his family. So with Sirius' help Harry had looked at his feelings properly and been able to work out that under the circumstances, Sirius wasn't really dead to him, there was nothing else for him to do but to be happy.

So Harry got out of bed, washed and dressed quickly, checked in with Remus, who looked like he hadn't moved so much as a muscle throughout the night and was still sleeping peacefully, and made his way downstairs. Dobby was in the kitchen preparing breakfast as usual and while Harry poured himself some juice and filled a bowl with fruit salad, the house elf popped out to fetch a newspaper. Harry just enjoyed his breakfast, safe in the knowledge that no matter what that paper printed, those who really mattered knew the truth of it. As for the rest of the wizarding world, they really needed to wake up to reality.

- - - - - -

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, I've opened up a forum you can access from my profile page. Please don't be shy. I'll be checking at least once a day so you can expect an answer within 24-36 hours maximum.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

See you next week.

cheers

kadedeetje


	23. Chapter 22

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**22 Digging one's own grave**

Rita Skeeter had chosen war !

Harry knew she could have taken the story into two very different directions. One option was for her to show off her writing skills and present the conversation in its rightful setting, thereby foregoing somewhat on the juicy drama and high profile she preferred but instead contributing to a better wizarding society.

Rita however had taken the other option and used the exclusive information most likely as a way to take revenge on Harry and his friends for the year of inactivity they'd forced on her.

Should we trust Harry Potter ?

A Rita Skeeter Exclusive

During a conversation with the-Boy-Who-Lived yesterday I learned that Harry Potter openly supports werewolves. What is worse, it appears that after the death of his godfather, none other than Remus J. Lupin, former DADA teacher at Hogwarts, who was later exposed as werewolf and fired, has been named his guardian.

Since his acquaintance with the werewolf, Harry Potter has been in contact with several others with this dark condition. The Boy-Who-Lived seems to be under heavy influence from his guardian. After all, when his assistance was most needed yesterday in Diagon Alley, Mr Potter and his friends quickly left and returned home to safety, not caring what happened to those left behind.

I shall definitely keep a close eye on the Boy-Who-Lived in order to monitor his actions and affiliations closely and would advise the magical community to do likewise.

Even without any legal knowledge Harry had found a few things he could immediately comment on. So with the help of Mr Black and his fully functional Ghost Quill he was able to take down an accurate word-for-word version of his entire conversation with Madame Malkin. Knowing it wouldn't take Rita long to come up with the link to the identity of his dead godfather and the juicy piece she'd no doubt write about that, Harry also made a copy of the relevant text from his father's letter, and sent a copy to both his lawyer and Tonks.

Dear Mr Watkins,

Thank you for warning us about the article. After dealing with the slanderous articles last year, one more doesn't matter all that much to me, but the way she portrays Remus … that's too much. Remus may be very protective of me, but the reverse is very much true as well.

For one, Remus was not fired, but when he realised that his secret was out, he quit knowing what the general reaction would be. Not to mention that he was horrified to learn that he'd roamed free that night and was thinking up all the what-if's of that situation with the students around.

One of the other issues she mentions, us leaving early, might be the result of her interpretation on something that I mentioned in my conversation. If she took that as 'truth' and did not verify with facts … We did leave early, before press and ministry arrived, but after the Death Eaters were taken away. I believe that Auror Shacklebolt would be able to confirm our presence until that time.

As to the conversation, she implies I talked with her but it was in reality with Madame Malkin. With the aid of a Ghost Quill I was able to note down the entire conversation for your info. Maybe a case could be made of it ?

Knowing Ms Skeeter as I do, she'll probably be digging around for more mud and it won't be long before she finds out Sirius was my godfather. Again with the aid of the Ghost Quill I have made copy of the section from my father's letter that mentions their plans to switch secret keeper. As you can understand I prefer to keep the original letter in my possession but will gladly hand it over for authentication purposes, provided either you or Remus can be present at all times throughout that process.

As for taking any legal actions, I'll leave that decision in your capable hands, just keep it low key. She'd have a field day if this got battled out in the papers. As for the rest of the press, if you trust your reporter friend I don't have a problem with you informing him of the entire situation. My only request would be for him to use it with more discretion, style and finesse than Rita Skeeter does.

Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

On a completely different note : the phoenix delivering this letter is called Lily and she has, since I inherited the Black estate, accepted to grace me with her presence and aid. Should you ever be in need to contact me really quickly she will come to both you and your Mrs Figg.

Kind regards

Harry Potter

Hello Tonks,

I'm really sorry to disturb you this early in the morning but I need your advice and help on the following matter.

Remus and I made the headlines this morning. Nothing new really, but the matter is that Rita Skeeter misrepresents the situations. For one, we didn't talk, she overhead the conversation with Madame Malkin. Secondly we did not 'flee' and leave the people in Diagon Alley before the attack but rather immediately after to avoid the press.

I have already asked my legal representative, Mr Paul Watkins, to take any legal action he thinks necessary, but I got worried for Madame Malkin. Gilderoy Lockhart used to obliviate the true heroes after he learned all he could of their feat, in order to claim he'd done it himself. I know that you could always act as a witness, but I thought it might be better to leave your involvement out of this. I have, with the aid of a Ghost Quill, taken down the entire conversation and send you a copy enclosed. But could you maybe ask someone to look out for Madame Malkin ?

Knowing Skeeter as I do she'll no doubt be digging away to gain as much mud on both Remus and me and it shouldn't be long before she finds out about Sirius. I am therefore also enclosing a copied paragraph from a letter written by my father I found in the Potter vault last Wednesday. In it he mentions his 'back up' plan switching secret keeper. I realise the original letter will be needed at some stage, but as this is the only real memento directly addressed to me from my father, I believe you'll understand my hesitancy to part with it. Provided that either Remus or Mr Watkins is present throughout the process I'll gladly hand it over for authentication purposes. I am hoping you'd be able to contact the correct people within the auror department (or whoever needs to be contacted) to get the case for Sirius going. Or if it's better if you're not involved please let me know whom to contact and I'll ask Mr Watkins to take care of it.

On another note, you've been keyed into the Black Manor wards, so all you need to say is Harry's Haven and you'll be here. Come along whenever you feel like it.

Cheers

Harry

Lily had just left with the two letters when Remus made an appearance.

"How are you feeling now, Remus ?"

"To be honest, I'm famished !" replied an embarrassed looking Remus. "I don't rightly recall how I got back home but that potion is quite something. I know the next few months will still be a bit harder what with getting rid of the Wolfsbane in my system. But for the first time I feel positive about the whole lycanthropy business."

"So how does it work ? It differs with the amount of Wolfsbane that you've taken before, is that correct ?"

"Yes. That's right. There are 3 possibilities. If you've never used a potion like Wolfsbane before, you'll only need to take two portions the first month and then you can switch to the normal dose of one portion per month. If you've taken Wolfsbane less than 10 months worth, you need to take both the potion and a cleanser for 3 nights per month for the first 3 months before switching to the normal dose. And when in doubt of just how many times you've taken it or you know it to be more than 10 times, you need to take the potion and cleanser for 6 nights per month for 6 months before going for the normal dose."

"That makes sense. The more Wolfsbane you've taken in, the more time your system will need to flush the stuff out. So, you need to return to their house tonight ?"

"No, actually, one of them will bring my potions over tonight. They gave me a tour of their home last night and then Elijah explained the process to me while we waited for the potion to be finished. They have invited me to spend the full moon night over with them though, so that there's no danger for any of you."

"And will you join them, Remus ? You do know the house will provide whatever is needed to keep both you and us safe."

"Yes, I know Harry, but I think I'll spend this first time with them anyway, just for my own peace of mind."

By now all the others had joined them at the breakfast table, and Hermione had been reading through the newspaper article. Her reaction was a bit unexpected, as she started grinning.

"What's so funny, Hermione ?" asked Ron.

"She's digging her own grave if she continues on like this."

What do you mean, Hermione ?" asked Neville who had not yet had a chance to read the article.

"For one, she's sloppy with her reporting," stated Hermione while handing the paper to Remus who still had to read the article, "she didn't check the details. And her biggest mistake is to attack Remus, when easily 75 percent of the Hogwarts students who had him as DADA teacher will remember him as our best teacher and know him as a kind and gentle man, not to mention that most likely half of the parents would agree with their kids."

Harry who had been watching a faint blush creep into his guardian's cheeks was hiding his smile in his teacup but did add to Hermione's statement.

"Not to mention the lawsuits she'll have stuck to her for misrepresenting facts and slander."

For the remainder of breakfast talk turned to more pleasant topics such as quidditch and the new course books. Their lesson with Mr Black that morning took a very interesting turn as both Mr Black and Uncle Black contributed to the talk which have them a good look on how things had changed in the 200 or so years that lay between their lives.

The quidditch game they had planned for the afternoon had to be cancelled quickly where Harry was concerned. With the twins elaborating on a beater move they'd worked out to Ron and Harry acting as keeper he had been able to intercept the first owl delivering a letter without too much fuss. But it was only the first delivery in a long line, and soon Harry had had to abandon playing and flying altogether as several owls simultaneously had asked for his attention. Deciding to quit the game was but a first result, as Harry ended up needing the help of Remus to deal with all the owls. And it wasn't until even both Dobby and Winky pitched in to deal with the owls that Harry finally had a chance to even open one of the letters.

Hello Harry,

How are you doing ? I do hope you are having a wonderful holiday.

You will no doubt be surprised to receive a letter from me, but my OWL results just arrived and I really wanted to thank you for your help in the DA last year.

I have 7 OWLs, the score I had hoped for. Most of them are as I expected an E score with only Divination with an O. But surprisingly I also have a completely unexpected O for DADA that I owe to you, Ron and Hermione. I do hope you'll continue the DA next year.

Have a wonderful rest of summer and see you on the Hogwarts Express on the 1st of September.

With love from

Lavender Brown

The next two letters were conveying a similar message from Hannah Abbott and Terry Boot but to his surprise the next he opened was once again coming from Lavender.

Hello again Harry,

I hadn't read this morning's newspaper yet when I sent out my previous 'thank you' letter so you might have been surprised I didn't mention anything about it.

I am so happy for you that Professor Lupin is your new guardian. If I remember correctly he knew both your parents when he was in Hogwarts, is that right ? So that must be real nice to have stories about them from someone who knew them. Anyway, it'll be a busy morning, as next I'll be writing an angry letter to the Daily Prophet. Professor Lupin was a nice man and the best professor we've had.

Please give him my regards.

With love from

Lavender Brown

Looking through the pile of letters they now had accumulated they were addressed either to Harry, Remus or both of them. While reading through them they found the letters for Harry were either thank-you notes for the DA and the OWL score, a supportive and congratulatory letter for having Remus as a guardian, or a combination of the two from all of the DA members and several other former and current Hogwarts students Harry hardly knew.

Most of the letters for Remus came from Hogwarts students and all contained pretty much the same message of support with only a few letters from fellow werewolves advising him to treat his ward, Harry Potter, right.

They had just started on afternoon tea when a pop and a crash from the hall were heard. Harry smiled. Obviously Tonks had arrived.

He made his way to the hall to welcome her only to find her sitting on the ground with her mouth and eyes wide open.

"Hello Tonks, welcome back to Black Manor."

"This can't be Black Manor Harry. I was here several times with my mum. Uncle would sometimes invite us over and it didn't look anything like this."

"Funny you should say that, Remus had the same reaction when he arrived the first time. But I assure you this is Black Manor. Come on through to the kitchen and join us for tea. We'll explain it all later."

Just then Blythe arrived with a plop to pick up Tonks' overnight bag.

"Missy Dora, is that you ? You is all grown up so beautiful now !" said a teary house elf.

"Blythe, you are still here. This is wonderful news. My mother will be so pleased you have an even better master now."

"Oh, yes," gushed the old house elf happily, "Master Harry is the bestest master ever ! He even gived us a rooms each !"

"Oh stop it you two, you're making me blush. Come on Tonks, tea is getting cold and the sandwiches are scrumptious."

Harry indicated towards the kitchen door and Tonks started into that direction as a still smiling Blythe popped away to unpack Tonks' bag. It was only because of Harry's seeker reflexes that Tonks did not make a very spectacular entry into the kitchen. She'd obviously caught sight of the garden outside and the kitchen interior to stop any coordination she possessed and it made Harry wonder again how such a clumsy woman made it to auror.

After a very loud and hilarious tea Harry gave Tonks the tour of the new Black Manor and when stopping in his master-suite to show off his family portraits learned she'd passed the copied note from James Potter on to Mrs Amelia Bones herself who would be in contact with either Harry, Remus or Mr Watkins in the following weeks to continue the process.

Tonks also thanked Harry for his advice to watch out for Madame Malkin. It turned out that when her first employee came in to work shortly after their own visit she'd found Madame Malkin to be quite agitated, confused and feeling a bit off. Throughout the day Madame had hovered between this confused state and being all right so nothing was said about it. But after Harry's note, Kingsley had pretended to do a quick check with the shopkeepers on the Alley and had heard the entire story from the employee. Madame Malkin had been taken to St Mungo's where the use of an obliviate had been diagnosed. Specialised personnel had been able to undo the damage and Madame Malkin had already given testimony that she'd had the conversation with Harry and that Rita Skeeter to her knowledge had not been present. Unfortunately they'd had no luck on bringing in Ms Skeeter for questioning but at least Harry knew that this time Rita Skeeter would at some stage be presented with the check to pay for her actions.

After thanking Tonks for doing all this and for keeping him up-to-date they continued the tour to the study downstairs where he introduced her to Mr Black. It had the same effect on Tonks as it had on the others. Mr Black however was very pleased to see Tonks again and to finally be able to talk to her. Tonks and her mum would have been the only candidates in the Black family at current he'd have chosen to leave the estate to. And as if one shock wasn't enough, Tonks also discovered the portrait of Uncle Black in the garden room and the three had quite a lengthy talk.

Later that evening Joe Waverly came with Remus' potions and asked for a few minutes of Harry's time. Puzzled as to what the man might have to discuss with him, the two retreated into the library.

"There are two things I wanted to talk to you about, Harry. First of all, the four of us have discussed your plans with the LeBon potion, and we all agree to help you with this project. I believe it's amazing you'd do that so we want to help as much as we can. Remus told us he won't be around Tuesday afternoon so would that suit you to have that talk about it ? The sooner you have all the facts the sooner you can start production. And it will be a little while before you have enough stock to make enough potion."

"If Remus is away Tuesday then that would be perfect. I'll send Hedwig as soon as he's gone, OK, rather than setting a time to meet up. I'll look forward to find out what you've come up with. There was another thing ?"

"Yes, I also wanted to thank you, Harry, in name of all four of us."

"What did I do ?" asked a puzzled Harry.

"All four of us received a letter from Gringotts early this afternoon. We were informed that we actually have a vault each and there are also the Waverly and Teague family vaults. On top of that we found out that the Prof left us all his family possessions as well as he had no family left. David has gone to Gringotts this afternoon to make sure they were correct and he met up with Griphook and Schmegg who confirmed the vaults are really ours. None of us has any idea what to do now but Griphook said that as we are connected to you, he'll look out for us and we can contact him anytime if we have a question."

"Oh Joe, there's really no need to thank me for that. When I went to the bank I arranged for the payments to be made for the tutoring and the gardening and they told me you had those vaults. All I did was inform them that you had no idea about them. Really, it was Griphook who did all the work."

With their talk over Harry introduced Joe to Tonks and said she'd meet the three others at a later stage. With Joe returning home, Tonks was asking Remus all kinds of questions on the new potion and Harry couldn't help but tease Remus a little with the completely zoned out state he'd been in the night before.

"Yeah, yeah, you laugh now," replied Remus, "but wait for the first time you're back with Madam Pomfrey. I'll ask her to give you the vilest tasting potion and then make sure Colin Creevey is around to take pictures."

Remus went off to bed early that evening and the others stayed downstairs for quite a while, once Tonks found the Code-Breaker game. They all had a go against her, with varied success, and it was Ginny, playing last, who through a little observation and quite some 'sheer dumb luck' broke Tonks code with only one go. She admitted to Harry she'd noticed Tonks always used a same code combination and had guessed correctly as a result.

On Saturday morning another journalist of the Daily Prophet reported only that they'd been flooded with letters from the public in defence of Harry Potter and his new guardian. As Hermione had predicted a lot of Remus' students had written in and a lot of parents had added their positive comments. Rita Skeeter had not written another article.

Remus once again emerged from his potion induced sleep as fit as a fiddle and they all agreed to have an impromptu DADA session. Harry told Tonks that Professor Dumbledore has asked for his help to continue the DA when classes resumed and asked her for any help. She was more than willing and agreed to return each Saturday morning for more of these double-DADA sessions, teaching Harry and his friends some feasible auror tricks.

They played some more Quidditch on Saturday afternoon, David Waverly came with Remus' potions and was duly introduced to Tonks late afternoon and they had another DADA session on Sunday morning. By noon the heavens had opened up and it was raining cats and dogs, so instead of an afternoon in the maze, they ended up in the swimming pool, much to the delight of Charlie and Bill Weasley who had popped over for a visit early in the afternoon.

- - - - - -

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, I've opened up a forum you can access from my profile page. Please don't be shy. I'll be checking at least once a day so you can expect an answer within 24-36 hours maximum.

If you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

See you next week.

cheers

kadedeetje


	24. Chapter 23

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**23 Secret Plans **

After dinner on Sunday evening the two eldest Weasley sons returned to their homes both laden down with several food packs from the elves. Shortly after, a reluctant Tonks said her goodbyes as she got ready to return home. Harry issued an open invitation for her to spend as much time as she wanted at the manor and Tonks agreed she would come back to stay for a while at some stage in August.

Monday dawned just as wet and miserable as Sunday had ended and it didn't look like it would ease up any time soon. The regular schedule of morning classes resumed, and despite it being the day before a full moon Remus was much fitter than usual and held the planned interesting DADA session. It was still pouring with rain that afternoon, so they asked Mr Black for some entertainment. He gladly gave them some more stories, a combination of serious and hilarious episodes in his life, both while alive and as an invisible onlooker. That evening they played a muggle game called "Hints" where you had to mime your way through expressions and titles of books. Since only Remus and Hermione had ever played the game, and it didn't always translate well into a magical version they had a good time, as especially the twins seemed to adept at twisting the rules in their favour.

Tuesday morning the rain had not yet let off and the garden looked almost drowned. They on the other hand were paying particular attention to Mr Black's explanation of some old and mostly forgotten magic.

During lunch Remus announced he had to go out to meet with Mad-Eye on some Order business, just like Joe had predicted he would. He also added he would most likely immediately make his way over to the house of the 4 werewolves. Remus had opted to spend his first full moon night on the LeBon potion away from both Black Manor and Grimmauld Place for his own peace of mind. The moment Remus left Harry sent out a note to the 4 werewolves and they made their way over in record time. Harry had just finished explaining the idea to the students when the 4 men arrived.

First point on the agenda was the potion itself. The 4 wholeheartedly accepted that they could not keep the LeBon potion to themselves any longer so agreed to let Harry make its existence known to the magical world.

The men had obviously taken the project to heart as they came with quite an extensive list of things that needed to be considered and done to start up The Wolf Liar, as Harry had started calling it in his mind. First off came the news that there were approximately 250 werewolves thought to reside in the UK. But with the Ministry's view on people with the condition that number could very well be much higher.

From a purely practical view on the potion two main issues came up.

Of the 30 or so potion ingredients needed to make both the potion and the cleanser only 3 posed real problems for the near future. Harry's current coca plant on the Black estate would provide enough material to make about 9000 portions, providing potion for 250 people needing the maximum dose for 6 months. But such extensive use would leave the plant most likely dead or in serious need of lots of recuperation time. Urgent purchase of more plants would therefore be needed. Fortunately they were - albeit on the illegal pricey markets - readily available in the muggle world. The second immediate ingredient problem would be the pumpkin seeds. Although one pumpkin provided enough seeds to last the four of them several months, in view of the large amounts that quite a few werewolves would need when starting the use of the new potion, they did not think they would be able to get their hands on enough seeds to last much further than a month or two at most. Winky who was working in the kitchen area came with the perfect solution.

"Master Harry, sir ? Hogwarts elves has plenty of pumpkins for juice."

Stunned silence followed Winky's suggestion until Harry laughed sheepishly.

"Thanks Winky, you are brilliant ! Of course there would be plenty of pumpkins around Hogwarts, we drink almost nothing but pumpkin juice. And Hagrid always grows these huge pumpkins for Halloween. They would have plenty of seeds in them as well. I am certain they'll be willing to give us the seeds we need."

Another ingredient was dandelion juice. The problem wasn't so much in getting the juice itself, but rather finding enough dandelions to get enough of their juice and – with a limited time frame in which to harvest them – enough helpers to pick the plants. With best results in May and August for harvesting they would need to work fast to first find enough places where dandelions grew and then to find a lot of helpers quickly to actually collect them.

"To the south of Longbottom Manor there are several acres of meadow where plenty of dandelions grow. I'll let my gran know and you could go have a look beforehand." said Neville.

"And around the Burrow there's plenty of fields too. Only there are also quite a few muggles living around the area, so that might be tricky."

"Maybe not, Ron, after all the best time of day to pick the flowers would be immediately after sunrise. I don't think that too many people are up and about at that time of day." said David.

"And we could ask Professor Dumbledore if the house elves of Hogwarts would be allowed to help us out. There are more than 100 house elves and with it being so quiet at Hogwarts over the summer they might like to be out for a change." pondered Hermione.

Ron, the twins, Ginny and Harry exchanged surprised looks. Hermione, suggesting to ask the house elves to help ! Did wonders never cease ?

"I'll write a letter to Professor Dumbledore immediately, shall I ? If the house elves are unable to help we'll need time to organise more people, so the quicker we know the better." suggested Harry.

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

Even before classes start again, we are commencing a large potion project. But we need help and we were hoping you'd be able to assist us.

There is on the one hand our need for a constant supply of pumpkin seeds. With all the pumpkin juice consumed at Hogwarts we were kind of hoping to be able to find those seeds in the school kitchen. Would we be correct in our assumption and would you agree for us to use them ?

Another ingredient we require is dandelion juice. With harvesting time just around the corner – we are told that the first half of August is the only possible time left to us this year. The alternative would be mid May next year ! – we would be in need of lots op help to allow us to harvest as many dandelions as possible from various locations around the country. We were wondering if the house elves of Hogwarts might be willing to assist us. Would you allow them out for a few mornings, if they don't mind ? And if you know of any places where we can find lots of dandelions your suggestions are most welcome. (Neville already mentioned the fields south of Longbottom Manor and Ron talked of those around the Burrow.)

We would need to find alternatives quickly if you are unable to help us, so might we ask for your answer soon ?

Thank you in advance.

With Neville ready writing his own note to his grandmother, Lily disappeared in a puff of fire to deliver the two notes.

Harry was quite surprised to find that the youngest, Luke, started talking. He was the one who never spoke, if he didn't really have to, and preferred instead to listen to all the conversations around him.

"There is another factor within the potion brewing process that has an important impact on the whole project. On the one hand the cleansing potion is best when used as fresh as possible but is considered to be of excellent quality when brewed no more than 7 days prior to consumption. However, one batch can be no larger than 50 portions and takes about 5 hours to brew.

The LeBon potion on the other hand needs to be fresh and needs to be taken within 24 hours of brewing. One batch can be no larger than 25 portions and takes a total of between 7 and 8 hours of brewing. Even the best brewers will not even attempt to work on two batches simultaneously as the brewing process is not so much difficult but very precise time wise. It keeps you occupied all the way through the process.

Joe and David said you'd mentioned a place, werewolf and squib run, where the ingredients could be grown and the potions brewed. Is that correct, Harry ?"

"Yes, I did say that. I'm not sure how to practically arrange the distribution of the potion, but already I can see that some thought would need to go to the practical side of first time administering of the cleansing and LeBon potion. If Remus' state was any indication …"

"It's good to hear you've seen those implications already Harry. But there is also the fact that, going with 250 werewolves all taking the Lebon Potion, in the long run you would need 5 potion brewers each making two batches, keeping these people occupied during one day a month only. If you assume all werewolves need the strongest dose of the LeBon potion, you will for a period of maximum 6 months have a job for those 5 brewers for up to twelve consecutive days per full moon cycle.

The implications for the facilities you are about to set up are you'd need potion labs for those brewers, but the labs themselves would only be used one day a month."

When Harry nodded his understanding, Luke continued.

"Furthermore, for growing the ingredients, since there is a good mix of both muggle and magical plants, you'd need a substantial garden and a hothouse to have enough space for all of them. Most can be harvested if and when time allows as they are used either dried or juiced. The few that need to be fresh when used pose no real problem.

The size of the garden means you need to hire at least two gardeners cum herbologists on top of the five potion brewers."

Harry and Hermione both sat nodding their understanding still thinking through all the information he'd given. Harry was about to ask what possible alternative uses those labs could have when Luke started up again.

"We started out to make plans on a tight budget but we altered them when we received the letter from Gringotts. We want to invest the money that was left to us by Professor LeBon on this project. Our idea will take a few years to fully come together but in the long run it could break even and even make a little profit too.

Our idea was to either buy or build a large property, house 5 or more potion labs and an extensive garden and greenhouse on the grounds, together with a social club/meeting rooms.

Have the potion brewers do research and brew common potions so St Mungo's and individuals can use them. Allow others to use the labs so they can stock up their personal potion stock. Especially muggle born wizards and witches or those living among muggles do not have the possibility to install a potions lab at home. Also, do not stick to growing just those ingredients required for the LeBon potion but grow as many as possible, so that you can offer those as well. It will need a little time to establish itself but it would be a fantastic project with many possibilities and advantages to more people than just the werewolves."

"Wow," said Harry, "I didn't think that far ahead, but you're correct of course. Did you draw up plans and put down all those ideas ?"

"We've noted it all down, but in order to present a proper picture it'll need some additional work." said David.

"Never mind that for now. If I can get two copies of the draft I'll forward them to Griphook and Paul Watkins, the estate solicitor, with a note explaining what we aim for. Look over the plans together with them and maybe together you can think of even more possibilities.

As for money, there's no problem for the Black estate to fund the project in total. You will contribute plenty already by allowing the use of the potion. As a matter of fact, could you note down in there that at any stage people would be allowed to do so by, say, leaving a few portions of any potion they've brewed, or providing us with seedlings from their own garden, or helping out in any way they are willing and capable to."

Harry had barely finished speaking when Lily made her appearance and the Headmaster had sent a reply along.

Dear Harry,

When I mentioned you might want to study a little during the holidays, I had no idea you would take the advice so much to heart. But I applaud your dedication and will of course help in any way possible. I look forward to hearing more about this particular project.

I took both your questions to the house elves and they will be giving their fullest cooperation on both accounts.

They start producing pumpkin juice as of August 30 and although they use the seeds themselves (for growing more pumpkins) there will be plenty left for your needs.

As to the dandelions, they make it sound like you've offered them the holiday of a lifetime so there is no need for you to worry. As soon as the dandelions are ready to be picked we'll send word. Just provide us with your instructions as to what to do with them once they're picked. And I know of many locations where dandelions are plenty so consider your potion ingredient problems solved.

On another note, how has Remus fared with the new potion ? I might stop by tomorrow afternoon to see for myself how he feels.

With regards

Professor Albus Dumbledore

When Harry finished reading the letter out loud, the 4 older men sighed their relief to find such an excellent result. They talked a little longer, mostly with the students asking questions and the four men answering, with the occasional remark of "hadn't thought of that myself" from both parties. Before long the 3 Waverley's said their goodbye's. Luke would return home to await Remus' arrival while the other two were going on a quick tour of the gardens they worked in to have an idea of what needed doing in the next few days. Elijah on the other stayed behind for a few more minutes to agree on a time and date for their first potion class. They decided on a Saturday morning session, joking that they would need the time to get used to the idea of Saturday classes. When Hermione mentioned they had not bought any potion ingredients just yet, their new teacher said he would have a look through their old stock of potion ingredients and then provide them with a list. There was no rush as he would provide them himself for the sessions during the summer.

After promising to send 2 copies of a new draft of the project plans in the next few days Elijah too made his way home. It was just gone regular tea time so they stayed seated throughout a small tea but none of them could really work up much energy. The weather did not help as it was still raining cats and dogs.

Harry in particular couldn't seem to settle down. He realised his worry for Remus was coming through. After all, Remus was now the most important person in his life and the unknown of the situation was making Harry tense. The others did their best to keep Harry entertained but shortly after dinner Harry excused himself for his lousy mood and disappeared to his room for the evening.

Even alone in his room Harry just couldn't settle and was leafing through a few of the new course books, called for the Black book to try and read some more of the Black family history but even that couldn't keep his mind occupied enough. In the end Dobby came by with a cup of hot cocoa and told Harry the drink would relax him a bit. Unbeknown to Harry, Mrs Weasley very much aware of Harry's mounting anxiety had laced the drink with a little sleeping potion.

So after changing into his night clothes, he picked up two of the thinnest books he'd picked up at Flourish and Blotts, both on Arithmancy, and settled down in his bed, expecting to spend most of the night awake.

Harry woke up at what seemed to be the middle of the night but turned out to be the very beginning of the day when the night sky slowly gave way to early morning light. Feeling extremely well rested Harry decided to take up his earlier position on the third floor waiting for Remus' return and when he caught his first glimpse of the approaching werewolf, Harry was outside in a flash.

Normally only meeting Remus well after his changes had occurred Harry was unaware of just how significant Remus' current condition was. He looked fit as a fiddle albeit a bit tired.

"Remus, how are you feeling ? Is everything alright ? How did it go ?"

Remus' smile widened even further hearing Harry's barrage of questions.

"I'm fine, Harry. It's been truly amazing already and the others say it will get even better as more of the Wolfsbane gets cleaned out of my system."

Remus went on to explain the differences he'd already felt at the change and admitted sheepishly he was in some strange way actually looking forward to the next full moon.

They'd made it to the kitchen by now and with none of the house elves around Harry got the teakettle out and started preparing breakfast for the two of them, all the while listening to Remus talk and asking a question every so often.

By the time the others came down for breakfast Remus had moved on to entertaining Harry with tales of the full moons at Hogwarts once the three marauders were able to join him.

Leaving the others at the breakfast table Harry made his way to the study to start on another private lesson with Mr Black. Remus would catch up on a little extra sleep and Mrs Weasley would be out for the day as she'd promised a wizarding neighbour to help out with something or other. But with the rain coming down in buckets again the others would have a hard time to keep themselves amused.

Halfway through the morning Blythe appeared with a little note, obviously written in haste.

Hey Harry,

Mum's just popped back and asked us for our help. So we've all gone out to the Burrow. Should be back by lunchtime.

See you then.

Ron

Harry returned to his lesson. He found it intriguing how easy the theory behind making new charms, jinxes or curses sounded. Or maybe it was the superb and one-on-one tutoring that worked so well for Harry, but he enjoyed learning it all anyway.

Shortly after noon time, Fawkes suddenly appeared with a note.

Harry,

We seem to have a little problem at Grimmauld Place. Could you come and see if you know what to do about it ?

Signed in haste

Professor Albus Dumbledore

Harry excused himself with Mr Black and hurried over to Grimmauld Place. He arrived as usual in the Tapestry Room as Harry liked to call the place. Professor Dumbledore was there waiting for him.

"Thanks Harry for coming so promptly. It's up in the Ballroom. It's nothing life threatening, so don't worry too much. But I figured it was best to have this looked at as soon as possible."

They made their way up to the first floor and Professor Dumbledore gestured Harry to go on in once they'd arrived at the Ball room and so Harry continued on into the room and was stunned.

- - - - - -

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, I've opened up a forum you can access from my profile page. Please don't be shy. I'll be checking at least once a day so you can expect an answer within 24-36 hours maximum.

And if you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s), you might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along and offers a little extra info and pictures on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

See you next week.

cheers

kadedeetje


	25. Chapter 24

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**24 Birthday Surprises**

The room was filled with people. At first glance Harry noticed all the Weasley's were there, Neville and his gran, his Mrs Figg (rather than the one working with Paul Watkins), Hermione and several order members of whom the tall Kingsley Shacklebolt, the pink haired Tonks and Mad-Eye Moody stood out. He'd hardly had the opportunity to take all that in when they'd all burst out in a not completely in tune rendition of "Happy Birthday".

Harry was totally surprised. What with the events of the past few days and the full moon his own birthday has escaped his attention. So a surprise birthday party for him with all his favourite people ! This was fantastic.

Harry was overwhelmed and smiled like crazy until he suddenly remembered Remus was still at Black Manor. As he turned to his Headmaster to enquire after Remus, the man himself rushed into the door and took hold of Harry in a good manly hug and said "Happy birthday my boy".

It seemed to be a sign to the others, as he received hugs and kisses from all the females in the room and handshakes and pats on his shoulder from the men. He was guided further into the Ballroom and now saw what they'd done with decorations. The ceiling was invisible from all the colourful balloons that bobbed up ahead. When one exploded it rained down coloured confetti that never made it to the floor. Banners were hung horizontally around the room. There was nothing on them but they kept changing colours until on the one closest to the doors a snitch suddenly appeared. Mere seconds later a figure on a broom looking a lot like Harry himself was seen tearing after the snitch. And, a bit like he'd seen on summer days happening to muggle airplanes, the seeker was trailed by the message "Happy 16th Birthday Harry !". The snitch and seeker disappeared off the first banner only to reappear on the second one, message still trailing along. The message changed to "and many more" and "from all of us" as the snitch and seeker kept making their way cross the room. Zooming around from banner to banner, the text was first replaced with bursts of fireworks and then wiped blank only to restart the whole cycle as the snitch and seeker made their fourth turn of the room.

By now Harry himself had made it to the other side of the people gathered in the room to end up by the largest round table Harry had ever seen. It would seat all those gathered. Without a head of the table, one seat stood out as it was not only larger than the rest but had been decorated. Dobby, Winky, Blythe and Beatrice appeared, beaming up at him. They gave him their own version of "Happy Birthday" as they led him to his seat. When they'd arrived by the chair all four of them waved, much like the Headmaster would do at the opening feast at Hogwarts and said "Harry, sir, your birthday lunch is ready."

The table was instantly filled with many plates piled high with delicious looking and smelling food, many of which containing Harry's favourites. Everyone took a seat and soon they were all laughing and talking and eating their way through the vast amount of food the elves had prepared. Rather than serving dessert immediately, everyone was too full to do it justice anyway, Harry was handed his first present. From Hermione he got an Extended Deluxe Broom Servicing Kit that would come in very handy once he got his Firebolt back. Ron, Fred and George had joined together to get him a massive present. It was well over ten inches thick and the twins made a whole spectacle of laying the obviously heavy but prettily wrapped package in front of him. Harry prepared for the weight as he handled the package and was surprised when he felt the package shoot up at the force he'd mistakenly used. The thing was as light as a feather ! People around the table were grinning at the confused look on Harry's face. Obviously a few were aware of what present Harry was receiving. Once the wrapping paper was removed Harry himself let out a hearty laugh. The large tome was titled "Pranking Praktices - All you ever wanted to know about pranks but were too afraid to ask". Harry wanted to have a look inside the book but was already handed the next present from Neville. He too gave Harry a book called "Estate Management for Dummies : A beginner's guide to Money and Properties and how to keep them."

"Neville, that reminds me," muttered a seriously embarrassed Harry, "It's your birthday too and I have a present for you at home. I'll give it to you when we get back OK." The others wished Neville a happy birthday too and Ginny in the mean time had handed over her small present. The wrapped up package turned out to be a small simple hand made wooden box which contained a wrist-band and necklace, both obviously also hand made, crafted from very fine interwoven strips of red and gold leather. Both items had a small glass coloured stone worked into it and Ginny explained that Charlie often provided her with small pieces of dragon skin to use. The combination of dragon leather and stone were supposed to protect the wearer but Ginny did warn that there was no proof and even if it did work would most likely only work for small and weak spells. Harry thanked her profusely for the jewellery. It might not be as expensive as most of the items he'd seen in the Black and Potter vaults but meant all the more because she'd made them for him personally. A few more presents followed from absent DA members, most of them containing either books, or chocolates, sweets or pranks from Zonko or WWW or a combination of the three.

Finally Tonks placed a small package in front of him, nicely wrapped in paper but adorned with a bow at least ten times bigger than the actual package itself.

"Everybody in the Order pitched in to their own ability and Remus cleared the remainder of the sum in name of Sirius and your parents, Harry, I ehm, we hope you like it."

Harry looked up at Remus when Tonks mentioned his parents and Sirius but all he got from that man was a very – too – innocent look. Harry first dismantled the bow, which turned out to be harder than expected, the wrapping paper posed no problem and it left him staring in wonder at a small smooth piece of pale wood. Harry was puzzled. Did he miss something about this wood ? Was it in any way special ? Harry reached out to pick it up. Not larger than a little over an inch by two inches, no thicker than maybe a third of an inch it fitted perfectly in his hand. As he touched the pale wood however it gave off images and feelings, just like the Marauder books had done. He saw impressions of a growing forest, a wizard shooting a spell at him, the sensation of falling and the loving and respectful handling of a craftsman. Harry got flashes of cupboards and bookcases, a desk and wall hangings and first a feeling of anticipation followed by patience. Harry was confused until it suddenly made sense : a trunk, he held a very special trunk !

"Wow guys, this trunk is wonderful, how does it work ?" gushed Harry. Tonks and Mad-Eye looked a bit baffled but Kingsley had to laugh. "See, guys, I told you he would know."

"Harry, how did you do it ? Or who told you ?" asked a slightly miffed Tonks.

"Tonks, nobody told me, but what else could it be ? It was just a lucky guess ! What can you tell me about it and how does it work ?"

"Remus has the manual the maker included for you. But to enlarge it for the first time you tap it twice and say your full name." said an enthusiastic Tonks.

Harry placed the block on the table in front of him, dutifully tapped it twice while saying "Harry James Potter" and it enlarged into a decent sized trunk. The first thing Harry noticed was that his initials in slightly darker wood were on the trunk together with what he vaguely recognised as the Potter Family crest.

Harry was puzzled. "How did you … Where did you … ?"

"Mad-Eye remembered you'd liked his trunk and suggested we get you a similar one for your birthday. So Kingsley, Mad-Eye and I were meeting Remus at the best trunk maker in England. We were a bit early so we decided to check out the trunks already available while waiting for Remus and ended up in the back of the shop talking specifics with the maker himself. In comes Remus and he starts walking toward us, when he stops halfway through the shop and asks why we're over there when THE trunk we want is over by him."

Kingsley took over the story for a moment : "You should have seen the maker's face light up at Remus' words and he makes his way over to him and says something like "You are connected or related to Harry Potter, sir ?". By the time we made it over we were completely baffled. That trunk had not been there when we were looking through the shop."

"It turns out to have several very special features, one being that it looks like an ordinary trunk to the general public but changes appearance when the owner or his relatives are close." said Remus as he took on the rest of the story, "Your grandfather ordered the making of the trunk for your dad's entry into the Auror department after his training finished. The making took a good few months and the storeowner tells us that your grandfather came by on a regular basis to keep an eye on the progress and even provided a few small trinkets for the decoration of it as the trunk neared completion. And that's when disaster struck. Just before it was finished your grandfather passed away unexpectedly. Feeling awkward at contacting your dad so soon after his loss the maker decided to wait a little while. He believes your father wasn't aware the trunk existed as he never came to claim it. Then the storeowner went through a bad time himself. All this took place in the course of 1980-1981, and as you might gather, the maker was too late contacting your father about the trunk as he too passed away. So the trunk has been waiting for a Potter or a relative to show up for the last fifteen years."

Harry was thrilled. A trunk made following his granddad's specifications for his dad and with Potter family heirlooms of sorts in there, was truly an amazing present. He couldn't wait to see the inside.

Remus continued "Harry, before you open it up, the maker suggested you read through the manual so that you know what to expect and what you need to do to make sure no one but those you trust enough would be able to enter into it or even touch it. I've looked through the manual myself and it is explained very well, but it's also clear that not reading the manual is a bad option. And Harry, the maker also invited you over for a visit should you so wish to talk about your grandfather and he's even willing to share his memories with you if you should be interested."

"Just so you know already, Harry" came Tonks, "the trunk has 5 compartments. First is a slightly more luxurious version of the general trunk, second is for clothes storage, the third is a library and supplies room, fourth is a study and the fifth compartment is a deluxe travelling home."

The last statement drew spectacular reactions from the aurors present but others looked just as clueless as he so Harry didn't hesitate to ask about the travelling home.

Mad-Eye gave the explanation the compartment was in effect a small flat. It provided a bathroom, bedroom and kitchen/dining room. Even the most basic version was not only an expensive addition to any trunk, but gave better comfort than some real houses so a deluxe version was unheard of. For an auror to have access to a trunk with a travelling room could make the difference between success and failure of an investigation.

Harry stood thinking, his fingers trailing over the Potter Family crest on the trunk, it made sense to have a trunk with a travelling room made for an only son about to enter a most dangerous profession in very troubling times indeed.

"Thank you all very much. Not only for the idea to buy me a trunk, I had started thinking I'd need to choose between taking either books or clothes to school this year, but for finding me this one. You all know I don't have much to remember my parents and the Potter family by, so this is a treasure for me."

"You are very welcome, Harry." said a solemn Tonks.

"Just keep us informed about the deluxe state of that travelling room, will you, so we know what we're missing out on !" quipped Kingsley.

Harry grinned up at Kingsley and promised he'd tell them in full detail about the wonders of his deluxe travelling room and then turned over to Remus to ask for instructions to reduce it again. It was so tempting to open the trunk Harry wanted to play safe and remove temptation so to speak.

Once the innocent looking piece of wood had been tucked inside Harry's pocket the room was suddenly plunged in darkness and in came Dobby and Winky carrying the most scrumptious looking birthday cake. Sixteen candles were burning on top along with several muggle sparkles. Clearly visible in the dark they emitted a variety of colours and to Harry it put all cakes Dudley had ever received on his birthday to shame.

With the sparklers finished sparkling and the candles blown out Dobby and Winky cut the cake and served the pieces. Harry quickly demolished his chocolate-and-cherry cake with gusto and got a second serving. Shortly after several order members came to say goodbye and wished Harry a nice end to his day. After thanking Hestia Jones for coming and her part in his present Harry saw Professor Dumbledore was free so made his way over. After thanking him for the surprise party he asked about magical paintings.

"Ah, yes, Harry, Remus told me about your new portraits. But I was under the impression you didn't mind them being static ?"

"Oh, Professor, I'm very happy with those as they are, but I was thinking of Uncle Black. I mean, I know the people in the Hogwarts paintings keep visiting each other, but what enables them to move from portrait to portrait in the first place ? For the moment he'll be fine where he is, but once we're off to school again … I'd like to offer him some moving possibilities."

"I see. Well, it's different for the Hogwarts portraits, Harry. They've been together for so long that it works like a charm so to speak, but it took a lot of time. Headmaster Nigellus, like all the other headmasters, on the other hand can move between two locations because he has specially made portraits of himself in both places. In all other cases painted landscapes are used to allow inhabitants to move to other locations. Have two paintings made of the same landscape. Hang one next to your original painting and the other goes to your destination. The inhabitant can then move to the landscape 'next door' and then move within the landscape to the next location."

"So I need to find either two similar landscape paintings or a painter to make them for me. Since I also learned of the Potter tradition to have a family painting made the summer the heir is 16 I think the second option would be best. I've been thinking of having a portrait made with Remus and me, and with the painting of my parents and Sirius in the background to show the complete family. But I have no idea how the process works or how to go about finding a reliable good painter, and arranging everything."

"There are several painters you could use, most of them are Hogwarts alumni, but I would recommend Paul Enseel. Not only is he good, he's also one of the few magical painters who will enjoy the challenge to include what is in effect a muggle painting. Paintings-in-paintings are tricky to begin with and a combination muggle-magical … You have hired a legal counsellor, have you not, Harry ?"

"Yes sir, under the circumstances I thought it would be best."

"Very true, Harry. I would recommend you ask him to make first contact with the painter. That way you will avoid the awkwardness of your fame playing up in the negotiation process."

"I didn't think of that. Thank you professor."

"Don't mention it Harry. I already look forward to seeing the finished family portrait. And I'll say goodbye for now, I expect quite a few letter will be waiting for my attention when I get back to Hogwarts. This is one of the few truly busy days in the otherwise calm summer months."

Harry and his friends stayed at Grimmauld Place until well after dinner. They'd still been talking to some of the guests from the lunchtime party when the first order members arrived who'd been unable to attend due to their job and so the party had continued on.

Due to the lack of a traditional afternoon tea, the house elves served dinner a little earlier than usual and this too became a very festive occasion. For dessert once again a birthday cake appeared but much to Harry's surprise this one was made of ice cream.

By the time they returned to Black Manor they were all exhausted but Harry still got Neville's present out. One of the books in the Black library on herbology had had Neville nearly in tears when he'd first seen it. The volume, Harry had learned, was rare and finding the book and being able to read it was making Neville's stay even more special. But Harry had spotted no fewer than four additional copies of the book on the Potter library list. They might have different publication dates but Harry was convinced he wouldn't miss the one copy. Neville didn't want to accept the book at first and it took Harry's Potter library list to convince the other birthday boy that the offer was genuine.

A little later that night Harry found he couldn't sleep. The idea of the trunk made especially for his father kept him wide-awake. So rather than going to bed, Harry decided to read through the manual that came with his new trunk.

30 June 1996

Dear Mr Potter,

First of all I would like to thank you for bringing Voldemort's return out in the open last week. It is sad to see how the Minister has managed to bury his head in the sand this past year, at the same time allowing the evil forces to become stronger and larger.

This is the sixth version of this manual. Originally the instructions were contained on a single parchment as I was certain I'd be able to pass on the information to your late father in person. When your parents passed away however I realised it would be some time before you would be able to come and claim this trunk. Uncertain I'd be around long enough I proceeded to create this manual for you to tell you all about the wonders of your new trunk, the Potter Family Bespoke Deluxe Auror Trunk.

Before I start to explain the security spells and different compartments to you, you might like to know the following.

All the wood used for this trunk came from an old oak tree that grows on the Potter estate. Since I harvested the wood nearly 17 years ago and the tree will have almost fully re-grown to its original size by now it is good to know this as you might well feel the pull of said oak when walking the woods surrounding your ancestral home. As you are muggle raised, you might find the section on "Life Trees" interesting in a book called "Nature's Treasures : a complete guide to magical and muggle plants".

Your grandfather contributed to the making of this trunk by adding several family secret spells and charms at various stages of the creation process. You will also encounter a few family heirlooms that have been used in the general decoration.

Security Measures

Appearance : Your trunk has a standard notice-me-not charm. The general public will see a very plain trunk (only one compartment). People who know you better (friends, classmates etc) will see the trunk in partial glory (the Potter crest, its appearance and 5 of the 7 available compartments). Only your guardian and yourself will see the 7 compartments.

Touch : As it is recommendable that any object made of wood be touchable by anyone (wood is very tactile), only the intent of that touch is measured and acted upon. Any person touching the trunk with malicious intent will be stunned for up to 12 hours.

General : Feather-light spelled. Wand, voice and touch-recognition upon first use. Password settings are available for each separate compartment. (See instructions for general use after the compartments section.)

Extra : the Potter Security Movement Protection : will be discussed in the Study Compartment

Compartments

First – General trunk compartment :

Used for last-minute packing, or often-used items. Can expand to twice its original size.

Potter Family Extra#1 : Upon first time use of the trunk you will find a replica of your trunket (your trunk in shrunken size, name your grandfather came up with) in this compartment. Please remove and keep it with you always. Part of the Potter Security Movement Protection. Explanation : see later.

Potter Family Extra#2 : Additional storage for smaller and/or valuable items can be found. The double row of small knobs around the inside rim of this compartment will give you access to a container each. They automatically resize to fit your needs.

Second – Clothing compartment :

Walk in cupboard with shelves, drawers and hanging space for all your clothes and general dress accessories. All cupboards come with the usual refreshing charm.

Potter Family Extra : The slightly separate cupboard unit to the right will give you additional access to any clothes cupboard in any of your other residences to allow retrieval of additional or forgotten clothing.

Third – Library and storage compartment :

Providing bookshelves, drawers and cabinets to store all books, supplies, potions and ingredients. Will expand to three times its original size.

Potter Family Extra : The slightly separate cupboard unit to the left will provide storage conditions as per need to keep items either warm or cool as per requirement (useful to keep certain potions and/or ingredients fresh)

Fourth – Study Area

Pleasant room decorated in Potter style containing large desk, cupboards, bookshelves, easy chair for reading

Potter Family Extra#1 : Modified Muggle Portable Radio installed. Plays non-stop original music by both muggle and wizarding singers and bands. There is the possibility to set up several different play-lists with music of your own choice. Also possibility to select several specialised radio stations (playing one type of music only).

Potter Family Extra#2 : Two bookshelves and two drawers (recognisable by the presence of a small Potter crest) will give access to your family library collection. Displaying random books in general the contents of the shelves/drawers will change per your need. (Your grandfather called it the requirement shelf, providing you with just those books you require.)

Potter Family Extra#3 : Main Part of the Potter Security Movement Protection. Your grandfather did not tell me in detail how this feature works (you will find his full explanation in the top right hand drawer of the desk) but what little he did tell makes this trunk a secret weapon in its own right. The study room contains five wall hangings. At the moment 4 depict a general pastoral view of meadows and trees. The fifth, hanging closest to the desk, depicts your ancestral home and surrounding areas. These hangings are useable as a sophisticated connection to 5 locations of your choice. That is the first one has already been set to the Master Study Room in Potter Manor. You might find that – because of your underage status – you cannot make use of this passageway just yet. The 4 others however will connect to any destination of your choice. The pictures on the wall hangings will alter accordingly if so desired.

Fifth – Deluxe Travelling Home

Suite of rooms consisting of bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, sitting room and work out room

Potter Family Extra#1 : All rooms have Potter input of some kind be it minor decorations, family heirlooms or furniture.

Potter Family Extra#2 : The kitchen area has a never-out cold box and the cupboards will be automatically filled when the suite is in use.

Potter Family Extra#3 : An unexpected but very welcome addition for any auror on active duty is the First Aid Healing power of the bedroom. It offers, in case of need, a diagnostic check and provides potions as required. Minor injuries (like cuts and bruises) will be healed overnight by the magic in the room itself.

Sixth – Requirement Compartment #1

As the name suggests, this compartment can be anything you need, be it a swimming pool, prison or garden

Potter Family Extra : If a room is required for a longer period (for storage while continuing to travel for instance) the compartment can provide up to six more similes, making this a 7-in-1 compartment.

Seventh – Requirement Compartment #2

Same as above, this compartment can be anything you need, be it a bedroom or a potion lab

Potter Family Extra : If a room is required for a longer period (for storage while continuing to travel for instance) the compartment can provide up to six more similes, making this a 7-in-1 compartment.

Instructions for General Use

First Use :

If in trunket form, tap with wand twice and state full name. Trunket will enlarge to trunk.

Once in trunk form, you will see seven thumb size indents lined up in the middle of the front rim of the lid. Each indent represents a compartment. Place thumb in first indent and open lid. Speak following phrase "I, your name here, want to set your password here as my password for this entire trunk." A new trunket can now be found on the bottom of the trunk. Please remove and keep with you always. Please note this trunket can be distinguished from the original by the small "1" visible on the rim. (The original is marked with an "0".) Please refer to your grandfather's instructions on how to use these trunkets.

Your trunk is now ready for further use.

After the first time

Tap trunket twice and it will enlarge. Tap trunk twice and it will shrink. This can be done both by wand and finger.

To open any of the seven compartments after first use, place your thumb in relevant indent and speak your password. Please note : a security measure has been set up so that no one will actually hear you speak said password.

Allowing others to open your trunk

Please refer to your grandfather's notes with explanations on how to set this up.

Harry had read the instructions a few times, just to be sure he didn't miss a thing. He then put the instructions to one side and got out his little trunket. Taking a closer look he indeed found the "0" on the rim.

He tapped twice and the trunket became the beautiful trunk again. Now clearly noticing the seven indents he placed his thumb in the correct place and opened the lid. Still touching the lid he spoke "I, Harry James Potter, want to set "Marauder Son Forever" as my password for this entire trunk." A wave of warmth seemed to wash over him and the next moment a quick flash of light lit up the inside of the trunk. Just like a flashlight of a camera it was gone immediately, but on the bottom of the trunk now lay, just as it said, a second trunket. Harry bent to pick it up and before putting it on his bedside cabinet looked out for the "1" that stood on the rim.

The first compartment was not really that interesting. It smelled like trees and strangely, like the sea. But it was just a trunk, albeit very smooth and tactile. When he pulled one of the little knobs it was attached to a long thin box lined with soft cloth and it had Harry wondering what it could be for. Pushing the box back, Harry picked up the manual to reread the part on those knobs and realised that with only his wand in hand at the time, the compartment had wanted to provide him with a space to put his wand in.

Closing the lid, Harry now placed his thumb in the second indent, lifted the lid again and spoke the password. But rather than the lid opening up, a wooden door, just as pale as the trunk, seemed to rise up from within the trunk. Harry had expected to find something similar to Mad-Eye's trunk with a rather clumsy way to enter the different compartments. Instead, here was a door that had taken the place of the front panel of the trunk. He pushed the door handle down and opened the door. The space in front of him looked huge. The outside walls were a collection of cupboards, offering hanging space, shelves and drawers. In the middle of the room four low dressers stood back to back. They had three deep drawers and a shallow fourth one at the top each and just like Harry had seen in some muggle department store the top of the dresser was made of glass, so you could see the contents of the top drawer. The cloth lining gave him the idea it was meant for jewellery. If Harry had thought he'd bought far too much new clothing, this cupboard quickly changed his mind, as his entire wardrobe would not even fill a quarter of the available space.

He stepped outside of the room, back into his bedroom at Black Manor, and as he closed the door behind him, it looked to be shrinking down, leaving behind the closed trunk.

A similar door appeared as he opened the third compartment. The library, empty as it was, turned out to be big enough to fit most of the Black library in it. It was the next space however that took Harry's breath away. The bookcases and cupboards were bare bar two shelves that were filled with books. The bureau –you couldn't call this masterpiece a desk surely – looked a lot like the one Harry had seen in the Potter vault. It was stained slightly darker than the rest of the furniture and had a honey colour. But the tapestries were the true eye catchers in the room. The four similar ones depicted beautiful views of a forest edge offering trees, shrubs and flowers, accounting for a lot of colours. But the one closest to the desk showed a beautiful castle situated on the edge of a field, with the sea to the back and a forest to the side. That was his ancestral home ? No wonder there was so much furniture in the vault ! Harry sat down by the desk, eyes still fixed on the tapestry as if trying to take in the smallest details.

Having lost track of time Harry had no idea how long he'd been staring at the tapestry. Somehow he'd felt the wind in his face and smelt the salty air of the sea. Having never gone to the sea he wasn't even sure where the impressions came from but right at this moment his 17th birthday couldn't come quick enough.

Paying more attention again to the rest of the room Harry was actually thinking that he wouldn't mind working hard if he could do it in this room. He found the radio and turned it on. Classical music filled the room and Harry experimented with the different buttons to finally settle for a station that seemed to play soft rock music he kind of liked. Now remembering the instructions his grandfather had left behind, he opened the top drawer and found apart from a sheaf of parchments a picture frame holding the smiling moving faces of his grandparents. They stood side by side in a loose embrace both smiling and waving at him. He switched off the radio, picked up the parchments and the picture frame and with a last look at the wall hanging made his way out.

It was quite late by now so Harry decided to wait until morning to explore the Deluxe Travelling Home. He carefully put his grandfather's notes away, gave the picture frame pride of place on his desk and proceeded to crawl in bed. Soon he was dreaming of flying with the seagulls and being hit by the salty spray of the waves.

- - - - - -

Author's Note :

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, I've opened up a forum you can access from my profile page. Please don't be shy. I'll be checking at least once a day so you can expect an answer within 24-36 hours maximum.

Sadly, for the next two-three weeks I will not be posting. A medical emergency in the family is and will be creating havoc in our schedule, so I've no way of knowing if and when I'll be able to write. I'll keep you posted on any progress through the forum.

Have you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s) ? You might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along and offers a little extra info and pictures on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	26. Chapter 25

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**25 Of Islands, Maps and So Much More**

Harry woke up on Thursday morning with a feeling of anticipation, the memories of blue skies, sunshine, water, wind and seagulls high in his mind. The reality was less interesting, as outside he could see a cloudy overcast sky and it was drizzling.

Despite going to bed so much later than usual, Harry was up at his usual early hour and decided to head for the fifth compartment in his trunk. As with the other three rooms – Harry didn't think you could really call them compartments – a door appeared. Stepping through he found himself in a short hallway. Immediately to his right was another door. It led to a grand looking bedroom with a four-poster bed very close to the door, and a dresser and a cupboard. This time the furniture was dark and upon closer inspection was probably not new. Walls were painted mainly cream with minimal Gryffindor touches of red and gold. At first the position of the bed didn't really sit right with Harry, who'd gotten used to his large bedroom in Black Manor, but it made some sense taking into consideration the presence of the additional Potter security features. For an auror, maybe wounded, to be only a few paces away from a bed providing safety and healing could be a lifesaver. Across from the bed, above a simple mantelpiece hung a painting, depicting a similar view of Potter Manor as the wall hanging in the study room. With less of the surrounding landscape in the picture though, the house looked even larger than Harry had guessed yesterday. He hoped Remus had visited the place at some stage so he could tell him about it.

On the other side of the hall a much smaller room stood empty, but from the padded walls and floors Harry figured this might be the workout room. Three more paces along the corridor and Harry ended up in a sitting cum dining room cum kitchen. In an L-shape open plan area he first encountered a sitting area with comfortable looking couches, a few small bookcases along one wall, and little side tables in between the furniture. A magical painting hung above the mantelpiece, this time depicting a stormy sea and an old sailing boat fighting through the waves. It was painted so realistic Harry could almost feel the rolling motion of the vessel and the salt wet spray in his face, hear the thundering wind.

In the dining room area stood a large table, seating 8 people easily. The matching dresser contained, as Harry curiously checked, what had to amount to a full chic dinner service. And when he looked closer, it even sported an albeit small version of the Potter crest in the middle of each plate. Harry had to chuckle at that. Would an auror on duty go all the way to get out the best china for the quick snack he'd be lucky to be able to finish ?

The kitchen looked immaculate and very like the muggle kitchen from Privet Drive. Maybe his grandfather had taken into consideration that his daughter-in-law was a muggle-born witch when creating this trunk.

The only room he'd not yet seen was the bathroom, so opening up the last door should hold no surprises. But two steps into the room and Harry felt like he was walking underwater. The floor, walls and ceiling were made up of small blue and aqua-coloured mosaic tiles depicting an underwater world. What made the effect even more spectacular was that just like in the moving paintings, you could see the occasional dolphin or an entire school of small colourful fishes glide by. Harry remembered seeing something similar on television as a young boy when they'd talked about some sea park opening up where you could take a walk through a see-through tunnel under the water.

Upon closer inspection of the room there was both a shower stall and a huge bath. It looked more like a small swimming pool but it too was made of tiles and once filled with water it was sure to look amazing.

Harry could hear someone call his name, so made his way out of the bathroom. Looking towards the front door of the suite, he could see Remus' stunned look seeing the door in the trunk. With a last look at the painting in the sitting room, Harry returned to his bedroom in Black Manor and nearly gave Remus a heart attack in the process as to that man Harry had appeared out of nowhere.

"We got a little worried when you didn't appear downstairs. I should have guessed that the lure of the trunk would be too great." laughed Remus.

"I couldn't sleep so read the manual last night and looked through 4 of the 7 compartments but I got too tired so I saved seeing the travelling home for today. Have you ever been at Potter Manor, Remus ?"

"Oh yes, Harry. I was there with Sirius and your father for Easter in our fourth year and visited again several times after that. The summer holiday after our OWLs was when Sirius moved out of Grimmauld Place and got to stay at your grandparents' house. I spent more than a few weeks there too. It's strange really, Peter was invited as well every one of those times and there was always some strange reason for him not to be there. Anyway, Harry, I'll tell you more about the place later, and maybe you'll find some pictures among that treasure box, but let's go get breakfast now OK ?"

Harry spent breakfast time telling them only a little about what he'd found so far in his trunk. He was a bit hesitant at spilling all the trunk's surprises so held back quite a bit. After all he still had the information from his grandfather to read through and after that he'd allow them entry in his trunk so they could see it for themselves.

After another interesting session on old magic brought by the combined forces of Mr and Uncle Black it finally stopped raining during lunch time so it was decided to get a little game of quidditch going after lunch. Unfortunately within half an hour they had to give up as once again rain was pouring down. In an effort to get rid of some of their excess energy Remus suggested to run another DADA session, a plan that met with general approval.

During dinner that night Hermione and Ginny had been asking Remus about classes and courses and it had Harry thinking that the holiday was well and truly half way. It got him thinking of the DA classes, both the new and the old, and while in the mood for some pre-course work, Harry decided to set up some sort of an agenda of things to do in the different sessions.

After writing down the spells and charms he remembered teaching the DA he asked Hermione to look through the list certain she'd be able to come up with any he'd missed. With the combined assistance of Ginny, Hermione, Neville, Ron and the twins Harry was quickly able to produce a complete list. Remus took a look at the list of things the DA had practiced and voiced his astonishment over their accomplishment. With his help they also came up with a lesson plan of sorts for the Advanced DA. With a good few months worth of plans, Harry also suggested they could also ask the other DA members for suggestions.

Happy with the progress they'd made, Hermione suggested playing a game of Wizarding Taboo. What made the game difficult was that the clues the game offered and you weren't supposed to use while trying to get your team members to guess the word, were those you associated most with the word in the first place and you had to dig deep to come up with alternative clues.

When Harry had to make the others in his team guess the word "kitten" the game came up with these five clues : "soft", "furry", "purr", "small animal" and "a young Professor McGonagall" and it had Harry tongue tied and blushing for a short while. His team was unsuccessful in guessing from his other clues – it had felt as if his mind had gone blank – but were in stitches when they read the clues Harry'd been given. Harry himself in the mean time while still smiling was listening to the conversation Hermione, Ginny and her mum had. It seemed Ginny would have loved to have a cat, but with money so tight, the cost of one was a bit too high.

They laughed more than they were able to guess the words and they all got into bed still chuckling at some of the hints the twins had come up with.

Friday morning dawned, a radiant sun shining and busy at trying to evaporate all the moisture the rain of the last days had left behind. The newspaper carried a headline that nearly had Harry choking on his toast.

So sorry, Mr Potter. You are in the news again !

By R.E. Porter

After last week's report by Ms Rita Skeeter and the avalanche of support for both Mr Harry Potter and his guardian, today Mr Potter once again made the news, albeit in an indirect way.

"It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination." With this slogan Professor Umbridge taught the students at Hogwarts the theory behind Defence Against the Dark Arts, totally omitting any practical defence study. Especially for OWL and NEWT students this was not good news. And as the results show, the DADA scores were the lowest ever, neither was it for any other Hogwarts student.

But Mr Potter and his friends, certain that Lord Voldemort had indeed returned, wanted more practical knowledge and set up the Defence Association, also affectionately known as the DA or even Dumbledore's Army. Immediately after its creation, Professor Umbridge disbanded all student organizations thus making it illegal. But Mr Potter and his friends were not giving up and were able to set up weekly meetings on an irregular timeframe in order to practice Defence Against the Dark Arts. Sadly, near the end of the school year one of the members of the DA snitched to Professor Umbridge, thus not only ending the DA meetings but also actively removing Headmaster Dumbledore from the school.

"And how does this relate to today's news ?", do I hear you ask yourself. Yesterday afternoon, in a small muggle village dementors showed up. They weren't happy with just sucking away all happiness from the muggles but actively tried to kiss a 9-year-old muggleborn witch-to-be. The presence of her cousins, both members of Mr Potter's DA, saved the girl and most likely more people in the village from a fate worse than death.

Both boys, Messrs Colin and Dennis Creevey, claim their success stems from Mr Potter's demonstration and insistence that students can perform the Patronus charm.

I contacted several new graduates from Hogwarts and was quick to identify those who joined Mr Potter in the DA. Their grades are far superior to those of their classmates.

"Despite being angry and frustrated with the teachers (most were under heavy scrutiny from Professor – High Inquisitor – Headmistress Umbridge) Harry was a great teacher. I've gained more confidence and practical knowledge in those classes with Harry than I've done in the past few years. Professor Lupin was the only exception to the list of bad DADA teachers we've had !" states one of them.

On another note, as a result of these bad DADA results several parents have pressed charges against both Professor Umbridge and the Ministry for the ridiculous ministry guidelines that resulted in these low scores. A few parents even lodged complaints against Professor Umbridge for the use of a blood quill on her students while in detentions.

Be sure to look out for more on the Umbridge case in later editions.

Not happy to find his name plastered all over the newspaper headlines yet again Harry couldn't help but smile at the article anyway. Colin and Dennis Creevey, his two biggest supporters, would have to be the ones ! He was proud of their achievement though, they hadn't been able to come up with more than wisps of silver-white vapour at the end of the school year. With some time to spare before class would start Harry decided to write a few notes, the first of which to the Creevey brothers. A note also went out to Paul Watkins, regarding both the werewolf plans and the paintings and he asked if R.E. Porter might be his reporter friend. A third note was sent to Tonks, as he'd just remembered she was supposed to come on Saturday morning for DADA classes, but they'd booked Saturday morning for potions class as well and asked if it would suit to switch the class to the afternoon.

It was raining again by the time lunch started so Harry asked for help in sorting through his huge pile of pictures and photographs from the Black vault. Hermione had read a useful spell and they tested it out on the first 10 pictures they removed from one of the boxes. It looked to work fine, so they assembled all the pictures, Hermione cast the spell once more and for a few moments they found themselves in a whirlwind of pictures, but soon enough these settled down again, neatly piled in several stacks.

Picking up the last stack he found photos of a very young Sirius, a younger boy, with only a passing resemblance to Sirius, probably his brother, and a man who was most likely Sirius' dad. Remus, who was looking over Harry's shoulder confirmed his suspicion and added the picture was taken just before Sirius had started at Hogwarts. They found more pictures of Sirius and his family, strangely all dating before his Hogwarts years. But Remus explained that those later pictures might not have survived the wrath of Sirius' mother once he left his home. They also came across pictures of Uncle Black in his younger days and so many more people they didn't recognise. Sadly Mr Black and Uncle Black were able to identify only a few of them. Nevertheless Harry decided to have them all put into photo albums. It might not be possible to match names and faces for now, but maybe someday they'd find a way …

After the success with the Black family pictures, Harry got his limited stack of Potter pictures out, Hermione cast her spell again and it was with some trepidation that Harry started looking at these pictures. But Harry was pleasantly surprised to find various pictures of his parents, Sirius, Remus, a baby version of himself crawling on the floor, pictures of his grandparents taken in some grand room with a view Harry now suspected might be from Potter Manor. Remus too had leafed through the many pictures a small smile playing on his face. The more they returned in time the more fun it became for Harry. He noticed more baby pictures, this time his dad was gnawing on some or other toy and for the first time Harry had pictures of more than two generations of Potters. Ginny laughed as she saw some of Harry's ancestors and she couldn't help but tease him a little. Harry himself had paid more attention to the person as a whole, Ginny had seen however, that all the Potter men had very messy black hair.

They finished putting the pictures in photo albums by teatime and decided a swim would be nice to fill the time until dinner. By dinnertime Harry had received answers to the notes he'd sent earlier. The Creevey brothers regaled him with page after page of details of what had happened but stressed the fact they were happy Harry had taught them so well. Mr Watkins confirmed Mr Porter was indeed his friend Robert and that he'd sent a note to the painter on Harry's behalf already and expressed his interest in this new venture of his. From Tonks came a hastily scribbled note saying she'd surely find a way to entertain herself until the afternoon. After dinner Harry explained he wanted to check out the rest of the Potter trunk and the instructions from his grandfather and made his way up to his bedroom.

By the time Harry was ready for bed, his head was spinning. The trunk was a real miracle and Harry was wondering if this might be "the power the lord knows not". The idea behind the Potter Security Movement Protection was the safe location of the main trunk and the possibilities of the study room portals. As long as Harry carried around his little trunket he would have a way to escape from any location, no matter how well protected or guarded that place might be. With a notice-me-not charm it would be highly unlikely it would be removed from his person. If someone did try, that person would end up being stunned. Two taps of his fingers would get him the trunk, his thumb print and his voice to say the password gave access to his study room, which in turn would give access to whatever location Harry decided to set up behind any one of the four remaining wall hangings. Once he arrived at his new location, he needed to shrink his trunk and the safety measure would actively remove the trunk from his erstwhile prison, returning it as trunket to the first compartment of the trunk as it had upon first use.

His grandfather also spoke of several other features that didn't make any sense to Harry and he suspected they might be typical auror tactics related. He would have to look out for some auror manuals in his extended library. The other thing Harry could do was to allow people all kinds of different access to his trunk. He had immediately given Remus as well as all "his" house elves access to all areas of the trunk. He would give his friends a tour of the 5 first compartments and set up unlimited access to the library for them. They would also be allowed in the study room but only when Harry himself was around. He was still in doubts about what he'd do with Seamus and Dean once they returned to Hogwarts but decided that could wait for a few more weeks. He already had one location in mind to set up behind the wall hangings, but had to be at Hogwarts to set it up. He'd need to think about what room at Black Manor would be best suited to connect with anyway.

Breakfast Saturday morning was a strange affair. They were all bouncing between anticipation and apprehension regarding the upcoming potion lesson. First thing Elijah did was to hand over the draft version of the Wolf Liar plans and it was a bit of an anti climax when they next ended up reviewing their ingredient supplies and getting an overview of what they would be learning in the upcoming months. Elijah did mention he had an appointment with Professor Dumbledore on Tuesday at Hogwarts and would be having a look at the room they would be using. Their new teacher did say that from looking through the notes Harry and Ginny had made in class they lacked some basic knowledge about the ingredients and movements they used. From both their notes he was able to gather that the teacher might have been giving them the information in such an underhand way it would be easy to overlook. Elijah said he was working on a sort of manual for them, just to give them an overview of the basics they were supposed to know by now.

Elijah left just before lunch, promising to bring a potion ingredients list and the manual for their next class.

After a light lunch, Tonks got to see the lists they'd made earlier in the week regarding past and future DA classes. She was well impressed with the list and made a few suggestions for the Advanced Class. She ended up demonstrating them and Harry was quick to note them down on the list.

After dinner it was an eager Tonks who asked about the Potter trunk and Harry invited her, along with the others for the tour he'd planned to give them. As expected, Hermione was enamoured by the size of the library. The study room was a big hit for various reasons but the travelling home compartment hit the jackpot. Especially when Ron discovered the cool box to contain not only butterbeer and snacks but also firewhiskey to boot.

To Harry's surprise it turned out the work out room wasn't as empty as he had thought. Tonks had stepped inside to show them a few basic auror work out manoeuvres. The room had automatically provided her with the targets and objects she needed for her exercise. And the bathroom, well, Harry wasn't disappointed to hear the various reactions to his underwater paradise.

On Sunday morning Tonks suggested another short DADA session to practice the new spells they'd learned the day before and they eagerly accepted. Professor Dumbledore joined them for lunch and well after dessert had been served handed over the list of those who'd registered for the DA. Originally only 9 students had signed up, the 4 of them included. But after the article on the Creevey brothers had appeared several people had recognised the name they'd seen on their school letters and written in to ask to sign up after all.

When Harry looked over the list he was happy to see the names of most of last year's members but was surprised to see 2 of the original 9 to be Slytherins.

Harry's gut reaction was to decline their request and from Ron's reaction he'd had the same idea.

"Sir, are the two Slytherin students 6th years like us ?"

"Yes, Harry. They are. I see you have doubts to allow them to join you and I know I have no say in the matter but let me just ask you what the reasons would be not to include them ?"

Ron was quick to answer in Harry's stead.

"They are Slytherins, sir, isn't that reason enough ?"

In order to divert the situation a little Harry asked for some additional information.

"Professor Dumbledore, is there a certain procedure we need to follow regarding these study groups ? I know we have until the end of the second week to confirm if we continue or not, but what of confirmation of participation or notice of rejection ?"

"There's nothing about that written anywhere, but I believe most students take the cordial way to go about these things. Depending on the amount of people you need to contact it's done either in person or with a brief note."

"Thank you Professor, for letting us know these names already. We'll keep you updated on the situation, sir."

"That would be much appreciated, Harry. Thank you."

When Dumbledore retreated to the library, Ron was quick to pick the subject back up.

"Harry, are you mad ? You're surely not thinking to allow these slimy Slytherins in, are you ?"

"My first reaction was the same as yours, Ron, but think about it. For the last 5 years we've had at least shared potions classes with the Slytherins. Can you tell me who they are let alone what those two girls look like ? Because I certainly can't. They were not in the Inquisitorial Squad and they haven't ever said or done anything against me or us as a group, as far as I know. So please, just think about it, and we'll talk it over some time next week."

After a few moments of silence, Harry continued on a completely different note.

"Is everyone else just as sick as I am of all this rain ? Would you like an afternoon in the sun for a change ?"

Tonks, Ginny and Mrs Weasley smiled at the droll idea to change the weather just like that, but Harry warned everyone they had 15 minutes to prepare for an afternoon on a hot beach.

Harry himself first talked to the elves and told them where they were going and then told Professor Dumbledore to prepare for a move and to hold on to the book he was reading, that it would make the trip along with him.

Within 15 minutes everyone gathered in the Main Hall talking excitedly, not knowing what would happen. Without anyone noticing Harry said the incantation while thinking of sun and the white beach at Black Manor Island. The others were so preoccupied they hadn't even registered they'd moved house so Harry was quick to pretend nothing had happened. He walked closer to Professor Dumbledore and with a loud voice, asked if he wouldn't prefer to sit in the library to read the book. The headmaster must have realised what was going on and quickly played along. When he entered this library he couldn't help but be amazed at the view from the windows. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the white sandy beach, the green and lush foliage and the bluest sea presented quite a perfect picture after the dreary English summer so far.

The others in the hall only now stirred and were both disappointed and quite amused with Harry's prank. It wasn't until Tonks made her way back to the kitchen that they realised Harry had indeed been able to change the weather ! When Hermione wanted to go outside she found she couldn't open the doors. Ginny spotted the sun cream lying on the kitchen counter and suggested they might have to use that before being allowed out. When everyone was smothered in a good layer of the protective cream the doors swung open and they felt a wave of heat hit them.

They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening on the beach with either Dobby, Winky, Blythe or Beatrice providing them with plenty to drink or another tube of the sun cream to top up their protection against the sun. Dobby and Blythe produced a lovely dinner they ate in the relative coolness of the kitchen, only to return lazing on the beach shortly after. Even Professor Dumbledore had opted to take a seat in the shade of one of the palm trees and the house elves had taken turns to laze in the special little sun chairs that had appeared.

They returned to Black Manor and the cold English summer late that same Sunday and when asked, Harry replied he'd been thinking to spend at least a week there, once Hermione's parents joined them the next Friday or Saturday. Tonks immediately told Harry she'd come along if that was no problem and Harry laughed at her eagerness but quickly nodded his approval.

The lot of them went to bed with a lingering warm glow to their skin and happy smiles on their faces as they fell asleep.

With Remus going to Hogwarts for the day on Tuesday Mr Black and Remus switched their class slots so on this Monday morning they were once again put through their paces for a rigorous work out in DADA.

When they emerged from the third floor classroom just before lunch they decided to take a quick breath of fresh air so walked to the quidditch pitch to pick up a broom. Despite the slight drizzle they spent the next few minutes flying round the pitch and over the forest before returning now slightly damp to the house feeling refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day.

After lunch Mrs Weasley said she would return to the Burrow for a few hours and that with Harry's permission she'd take Winky to bring back any produce from the Weasley garden that could be used in the next days. Harry gladly agreed and suggested that maybe Beatrice and Blythe might like to go too even only to just look around another home and garden. The two house elves perked up at the idea of an outing and Mrs Weasley gladly took off with her unusual visitors.

With the rain now coming down steadily and swimming out of the question so soon after lunch Harry asked Remus about the Marauder Map.

"Remus, how did you guys make the marauder map ? Could we make a similar one of the manor and grounds here, do you think ?"

The twins upon hearing Remus helped make the map stuttered a "What?" and Harry couldn't help but laugh at their surprise.

"I'm sorry guys, didn't I introduce you properly ? Gred, Forge, please meet Moony, one of the four Marauders."

"You ? Moony ? But ? Who ?"

The others were in stitches at the flabbergasted look on the twins' faces but Harry took pity.

"I realised you only heard us refer to Padfoot as Snuffles so you wouldn't have added up the clues. Have you ever really looked at my patronus, guys ? That's Prongs, my dad's animagus form and Sirius was Padfoot, Remus was and is Moony and …"

Harry stopped, he was still getting mad at the thought of Peter Pettigrew and had trouble to continue, but the twins had emerged from their surprise and finished the sentence for him.

"… and Scabbers, or Pettigrew is Wormtail, the rat."

"Yes," continued Remus, "and for what it's worth, at the time we were at Hogwarts, and making the map, I truly believe he was still our friend. It wasn't until after school, when we parted company, each following our own path in society that he was lured to the Dark. Originally it was just James, Sirius and myself, but with only the four of us in the Gryffindor dorm, soon enough Peter tagged along, and he has always remained a little bit of the outsider. He was dominated by his mother before school, in some way a bit by us while at school and when he left I guess he just needed someone else to "guide" him and he unfortunately ended up with Voldemort.

But enough of that. What happened is sad but it did happen and there's nothing we can do to change it. If you want a map of the manor and grounds, I'll gladly help. Too bad the Marauder Manual was destroyed, we kept all our notes in there."

Harry looked up at this, surprised to learn Remus thought the book was destroyed.

"Wait a minute, Moony !" he said and quickly ran up to his room and retrieved both the Marauder Manual and "Wolfie's Friends" from his old trunk.

"Did you mean this ?"

Remus beamed with happiness as he recognised the book. Harry was quick to explain.

"I found it amongst Sirius' things in the Black vault. There was also this other one, but I'm not sure you know of it ? It's about their research to become animagi."

Remus shook his head, too overcome with emotion. He smiled though when he saw the title of the book.

"Only Sirius, that daft bugger !"

Wanting to give Remus a little time to reminisce Harry started to gently direct everyone out on a small mission.

Hermione and the twins would look for additional help in the library while Ron and Neville prepared the formal dining room by moving a few of the chairs to the side. Ginny collected quills and inkwells and upon Harry's directions retrieved a blank notebook from his supply.

Harry went to ask Mr Black for some large parchments and explained the project they would be working on. Curious about the Marauders Map Harry went to retrieve it to show it to Mr Black. He was well impressed with the handiwork of the youngsters and was wondering out loud whether the boys would have asked Hogwarts for help.

Seeing Harry's curious look Mr Black explained how magical buildings with time would sort of think for themselves and develop human like characteristics. Mainly this would be about ways to please and protect its master and his guests. With a simple structure like Black Manor this would result in things like swimming aids for those the house sensed had need of them, or personalised brooms and clothing, or sliding banisters, and even providing images like you see from a pensieve. With a structure like Hogwarts it would manifest itself differently taking into account the size of the building and the fact there were so many guests or pupils most of the time.

It somehow made sense to Harry but he'd come back to the subject after he'd had time to process the information some more. For now they made their way back to the others.

Armed with ink and quills and several large sheets of parchments and a notebook to record the details of their work the group trooped into the large dining room and set off to produce the first ever Mischief Makers Map.

Harry spread the first parchment out on the table and they were away for an afternoon of discovery and fun. Harry especially enjoyed the notes the marauders had made and that Remus would now read out loud. The twins came up with outrageous suggestions to 'better' the map but research often showed that an albeit much toned down version could work. Neville came with a suggestion that as the grounds were included it would be good to have nametags showing different species. This time it was Mr Black and Remus who came up with the altered solution to the problem. Hermione was casting the required charms and Ginny was noting down all the used incantations with references to the books they'd used for their research and the alterations they came up with. By the time dinner arrived they had finished the incantations and the lay out of the house was on paper. Outside of the house they'd drawn they could see several labels in the middle of blank space. If the weather permitted they would go exploring the grounds tomorrow to flesh out their map.

After dinner the twins were asking Remus question after question about his marauder days and it didn't take long for everybody to stop pretending they weren't listening in on the conversation.

On Tuesday morning Mr Black told them a little of the Ministry and its working in his days and the many changes that took place throughout his lifetime alone. Knowing both Neville and himself would probably be covering this subject at some point in their Wizarding Society class, Harry took copious notes and asked questions when Mr Black said something that didn't immediately make sense to Harry. With Mr Black a pureblood wizard his knowledge of muggle society was limited and dated back to his own era so it sometimes took Hermione's further explanation before it became clearer for both Harry and Mr Black.

With Remus still gone that afternoon, they had decided to start work on the easy outside part of the map. Harry wanted to pick up the Mischief Makers Map but instead took hold of the spare empty parchment.

With the large blank sheet still in hand he was thinking it would be nice to have a look at what the finished product would look like. Mr Black had mentioned to ask the Manor for assistance. Sensing what felt very much like a chuckle Harry stared in awe at the text and lines that suddenly appeared on the parchment. Quickly spreading the sheet out on the table he heard Ginny who'd come to look for him gasp as she too took in the details that were visible. Little nametags looked different for girls, boys, ghosts and house elves, and the beings out in the grounds appeared as little drawings of their species with sometimes undecipherable names attached.

The others come to take a look too and with Ron and Neville's help they spread the three maps out to compare the three designs. The biggest difference was the mono colour version of both the wizard made maps, while there was plenty of colourful use on the Black Manor made map.

Neville asked if there was any way to set up some security measure, so that people or beasts or beings that weren't supposed to be wherever they were to show up clearly.

No sooner had he finished speaking when a red coloured tag was seen moving inside Hogwarts. Within seconds Lily was off with the map and a note from Harry for Remus. All they could do now was to wait !

- - - - - -

Author's Note :

It's been longer than I expected since my last update, my apologies for that, but real life doesn't always play nice. That said, I should be back to more regular posting, only not to the weekly update as before but instead every other week. That should give me the opportunity to run a little ahead again.

Thanks for reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate.

Have you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s) ? You might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along and offers a little extra info and pictures on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	27. Chapter 26

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**26 Justice at last**

It had not been more than half an hour but they were still waiting for news from Hogwarts when Lily reappeared. The note she had however was from Paul Watkins.

Hello Harry and Remus,

This is just an advance warning of tomorrow's headlines.

A little explanation : I was in the Ministry today doing some research and had just decided to call it a day. I was in the lift on my way out when I heard the two other occupants talking about "apparently something big about Sirius Black". Slipping into my newest role I followed them to the large press room and sat to await the spectacle.

And a spectacle it was. Fudge had called all the press about a major breakthrough in the war on terror. With a big smile he announced that aurors had been able to find the hiding place of Sirius Black, had wanted to bring him in but in the fight Mr Black had been killed. Of course the reporters shouted all kinds of additional questions and Fudge obliged by elaborating on the so-called facts.

I however bided my time and when things had cooled down just enough asked him the million galleon question of - if all he claimed to be true - how it was possible that a Ministry hearing was held on 8 July to settle the Black family estate, where it was reported that Mr Black had been killed during the fight at the Ministry on the 24th of June as was witnessed by several people, including Professor Dumbledore, and that with Gringotts' assistance, the will of the late Sirius Black had in fact been executed on that same 8th of July.

Lots of shouting and denials, and copies of the Hearing report later, well, lets just say that Fudge had a really bad day. I on the other hand have now become known as the Black estate representative.

I'll keep you informed about further developments on this issue.

Kind regards

Paul Watkins

PS Please tell Lily I'm sorry. I didn't realise she would make it over so quickly after being called so she had to wait while I finished this letter.

Harry didn't know what to do with this latest development. He should be angry at Fudge for what he had done and was still trying to do to Sirius but at the same time he was also aware of how perfect the timing was for Fudge to screw up like this. With the capture and questioning of Peter and the additional proof through his dad's letter hopefully it would emerge that Sirius was and always had been innocent …

Harry had passed the letter over for the others to read and they were still grinning at the image of Fudge's face at the interruption of his moment in the spotlight when an owl dropped off a special edition of the Daily Prophet.

Just like his godfather ?

Investigation by Rita Skeeter

In an attempt to keep myself up-to-date on Mr Potter's actions and affairs I researched his current status and discovered to my horror that The-Boy-Who-Lived has himself an even more notorious godfather than the guardian I reported about earlier.

None other than Sirius Black, known criminal, Death Eater and escapee from Azkaban prison, was appointed as his godfather by the late James and Lily Potter.

With Black on the run for just over three years and no sign of his current whereabouts I would suggest that the aurors assigned to his case question Mr Potter himself for any clues. Under the circumstances it might just be conceivable that Mr Potter is aiding his elusive godfather. After all, the last reported sighting of Mr Black just happened to be Hogwarts, near the end of term two years ago.

Harry suspected Rita had just happened upon the knowledge of his connection with Sirius and just made up all the rest in order to shock the readers. If she only knew how close she came with her claim though …

"Here guys, look at this ! They won't know what hit them with all the upcoming news and discoveries." said a grinning Harry as he handed the paper over.

"They hear Sirius is your godfather today, and tomorrow not only that he's dead but was innocent to boot. You're right to assume they'll be bowled over." remarked Fred.

Harry wrote a note back to Paul Watkins in order to keep him up-to-date on the news that Peter Pettigrew would most likely be caught today and to inform him he wanted to make sure that in that case the allowances to the two Black cousins would be stopped immediately. He also mentioned that now that Sirius' status as his godfather became known, and most likely followed shortly by Harry's recent inheritance, to pass on the go-ahead to Paul's reporter friend to use all the details he thought appropriate in any of the articles that were sure to follow.

At long last Fawkes appeared with a jubilant note from Remus. They had indeed been able to capture Peter and had alerted Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Madame Bones. She had arranged for the immediate questioning of Peter in the presence of a small representation of the Wizengamot. He also wrote that he'd only be back after that hearing and promised that not only he himself, but also Professor Dumbledore would show them their memories of the happenings.

They tried to occupy themselves for the next few hours but found it difficult to concentrate and in the end they just gave up any pretence and just sat around occasionally voicing the possible course of actions under way as they spoke.

Dinner had just been served when Remus and Professor Dumbledore arrived, the latter with a pensieve in hand. The youngsters of the group were not doing the food any justice as they couldn't wait to catch a glimpse of the afternoon's happenings. At long last dinner was over and Professor Dumbledore and Remus both deposited silvery strands of memories in the pensieve for them to see.

"For your information, there are three different scenes in there. The first is in Hogwarts and we were in the last stages of the first teacher meeting of the new school year. There is no need to look out for the new DADA teacher as she unfortunately couldn't make it this time. On the other hand, Remus was present because he'll be the reserve teacher on the roster. The second scene is what happens in the meeting room while Remus is gone to catch Peter and as last there is the questioning of Peter." explained Professor Dumbledore just before immerging them into the first of the memories.

They found themselves in a room Harry hadn't seen before. It looked like a quite large classroom but instead of the individual desks housed one large oblong table, providing seating for all the Hogwarts teachers, including Hagrid and Firenze. The view through the windows confirmed Harry's suspicion they were on the ground floor. In one corner of the room stood a large perch where Fawkes sat, looking at all the teachers as if reading their thoughts.

When Professor McGonagall stood up and walked to a table with lots of folders as she continued talking Harry started paying attention to the conversation.

"I believe that's it for now Headmaster. I just need to hand out the folders containing class lists for 2nd years and up and a list of first year students, each teacher's class schedule, an agenda for teacher meetings and such for the first semester and a list of proposed Hogsmead weekends."

"Thank you Minerva. Are there any questions so far …"

Fawkes on his perch seemed to cheer up and the next moment the sound of an arriving phoenix could be heard, quickly followed by a spectacular flash of fire. Lily paid the various cries of surprise no heed and landed quickly on Remus' shoulder, first dropping Harry's handwritten note. With just the 5 words "**_We saw_** **_Peter at Hogwarts_**" Remus did not need long to finish reading and he looked up to find the Marauder Map, that Lily now deposited in his hands. As he folded the map open he too saw the red labelled figure scurrying in the dungeon hallways and was quick to explain as he hurried out.

"Sorry, Headmaster, but Peter Pettigrew is in the castle and I for one would like to apprehend him once and for all."

"I'll come too Remus, just to be on the safe side." said Professor McGonagall as she returned the folders to the table.

"As will I, for additional back up." came from Professor Flitwick and the three quickly made their way out.

They made their way through the corridor, into the Entrance Hall and down the stairs in the direction of the dungeons. Remus took charge and asked Professor McGonagall to take aim at a person, while Professor Flitwick was to look out for the rat version of Peter. About halfway through the Entrance Hall Professor Flitwick cast a Silencing Charm on their feet so they now made no noise other than the rustling of their robes. They stopped just before an intersection of hallways and there they stayed looking from the map to the corner expectantly.

It was over in a flash, as all three sent off their Stupefy as the rat came around the corner. With a positive result, Professor McGonagall conjured a large glass container, added the Fixation Hex to stop the rat from changing to man again and unceremoniously dumped the rat in it, safely screwing on a lid. Only then did they share a grin.

"Thank you Minerva and Filius, from both Harry and myself. We were so close two years ago that I would feel it as a personal failure had we not succeeded this time." said Remus as they made their way back to the meeting room.

The other teachers were still sitting around the table but were quick to ask after their success. Remus showed them the rat in the jar while Professor Dumbledore told them that Mad-Eye, Kingsley as well as Madame Bones were on their way.

"Minister Fudge on the other hand won't make it as he's occupied at the moment." the headmaster added.

It was a very weird feeling to switch from one person's memories to those of another. They were obviously in the same room with the same people and yet, it was all different. Harry couldn't think what made the difference but believed it would come to him at some stage. They picked up from just after Lily's arrival.

"Sorry, Headmaster, but Peter Pettigrew is in the castle and I for one would like to apprehend him once and for all."

"I'll come too Remus, just to be on the safe side." said Professor McGonagall.

"As will I, for additional back up." came from Professor Flitwick and the three quickly made their way out.

No sooner were the three teachers out of the room when the Headmaster spoke an incantation that to Harry sounded something like the patronus and three little silvery phoenixes erupted from his wand and they puffed away almost instantly, very much like a real phoenix would do.

"Headmaster, I didn't realise there's more than one phoenix around ? Whose is this ?" asked Professor Sprout.

"Oh no, Pomona, there are no doubt many more phoenixes about. The majority of them prefer to live away from humans though and never look for companions. The few who do look for a human companion just don't always end up with such public figures. As for Lily here, she joined her new human companion a mere few weeks ago."

Professor Dumbledore had just gestured in the direction of Lily, now sitting on the perch next to Fawkes, when she let out a few notes, Fawkes answered and she was gone again in a flash of fire.

The teachers continued asking questions regarding phoenixes and their habits while one teacher had taken over the job to distribute their folders. Professor Snape very rudely interrupted the conversation.

"Albus, Minerva must have made a mistake. Potter nor his friends are on my list for 6th year potions."

"Ah, yes, Severus, I had planned to tell you about that. It is no mistake. You see, Harry was so convinced he wouldn't make it into your classes this year he went and organised himself a private tutor. When he found out he was allowed in after all he said he preferred to go ahead with the tutor as that had all been set up already. He also invited his friends to join him in these private classes and they have accepted to participate. In view of his current ambiguous state the Board has granted him permission for any private tutoring he wanted on condition they take place in the weekends."

Harry had difficulty to swallow his laughter as he watched the potions master get angrier and angrier at the news his headmaster was bringing. Both Neville and Ron on the other hand did not hold in their glee at the uncommon sight of a flabbergasted professor Snape.

"What ambiguous state is that, Albus ?" asked a slightly worried looking Madame Pomfrey. "Harry, ehm Mr Potter is alright I hope."

"No need to worry about Harry this year Poppy. I believe him to be the happiest and healthiest he's ever been since his parents died. The ambiguity is in his status of being both of age and underage at the same time."

"How is that possible, Albus ?" asked an eager to learn Madame Pince.

"You all know Sirius Black was innocent of the crimes he's been put into Azkaban for. But few people knew him to be Harry's godfather. He left almost the entire Black estate to Harry and that has brought quite a few pleasant surprises. Amongst others there's a safe haven for Harry and his friends, Lily the phoenix showed up and, in the eyes of the Black estate and all that entails he is now of age. As far as the Potter estate is concerned however he's still a minor and he has no access yet. With two more years of schooling ahead of him he's arranged a brilliant team to represent him during that time but he's adamant to learn as much as he can before taking over the reigns of both estates himself."

"Yes, I can see a long and prosperous life for our young Gryffindor." Came from a misty eyed Professor Trelawny.

This time even Harry couldn't help but laugh out loud at the comment the normally very depressing professor gave. He therefore nearly missed seeing the reappearance of one of the small silvery phoenixes that popped in existence and flew to Professor Dumbledore's ear. The next moment the door opened and in came Remus, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick with the rat in a jar.

The switch from one memory to another was not as jarring this time even though they now found themselves in a totally different room. It looked like a cross between the gloomy Courtroom 10 where Harry's hearing of last year took place and the very modern and light room 17B where the hearing regarding Sirius' will had taken place earlier in the summer.

The bottom level was a circular space, just like a stage, and held a prisoner chair like the one in Courtroom 10. On either side of this chair, stood two small desks and chairs and Harry presumed they might be for legal representation. These three seats were facing two other desks, one much larger then the two individual ones, standing slightly raised on a platform with just in front of it another small desk that had a youngish man- today's clerk no doubt - sitting at it, parchments and quill ready for recording the entire proceedings. From centre stage much like in the old Roman arena's 5 levels of seating space arose, with room enough for some 100 people. Only some 20 seats were occupied by people wearing the plum coloured robes with the ornate silver W on the left hand side.

Back on the bottom stage a door appeared on one side and a woman Harry recognised as Susan Bones' aunt appeared and took up the seat behind the large desk.

"Thank you all for joining us at such short notice. Please note this meeting will replace next week's session as we will be dealing with the issue originally scheduled for that time along with this new and most pressing case.

The reason I called this urgent and unscheduled meeting is the capture of none other that Peter Pettigrew, who was presumed killed nearly 15 years ago by Sirius Black. The original session scheduled next week was to deal with new and highly reliable information that effectively clears Sirius Black of the crimes he was imprisoned for but implicates the now captured Pettigrew instead.

I have recently learned quite a bit of the story through my research to prepare for next week's session but as I am also aware most of you have no background information on the case, I have asked Mr Lupin, who assisted in the capture this afternoon, but also was best friends with the parties involved in the past, to give us a bit on the background of the situation back in 1981 and also from 1994.

Through the same door that Mrs Bones had emerged from earlier now entered Remus, looking very well. He took a seat in the dreaded prisoner chair and was invited by Mrs Bones to tell the story of the Marauders.

And Remus told them of the night that changed his young life forever, the lonely and difficult years as a youngster, the surprise at the invitation to Hogwarts, meeting James and Sirius at Madame Malkin while shopping for his school things, the delight at finding his new friends back at not only Hogwarts but even better, in Gryffindor House. How Peter, as only other Gryffindor first year had made up the quartet. He told them about the surprise that none of his friends had abandoned him when they found out about his monthly problem and the even bigger surprise when years later he found out they'd gone to the trouble to become animagi. He told them of the romance between James and Lily and how that had changed the quartet to a quintet rather than breaking up the friendship. When talking of the years after school the pattern of Peter's alienation started setting him apart but "it's only with hindsight that it's become much clearer what happened to Peter. His mother was very dominating first, then to a lesser degree he followed the Marauders, and then when school was over he looked for guidance elsewhere and sadly ended up with Lord Voldemort. When I heard the news of the happenings of that evening at the end of October 1981 I wasn't very stable for a long time. I lost my four best friends all in one go and the only thing that kept me alive was thinking of Harry, how he might one day want to hear the stories of his parents. As I became more lucid in the following months I did question the facts as they were told but had no foolproof evidence to the contrary. When Sirius escaped Azkaban prison in the summer of 1994 Professor Dumbledore offered me the free post of DADA teacher and I gladly accepted the job. My two main reasons were getting to know Harry and maybe tell him of his parents a little and on the other hand to protect him from Sirius. It wasn't until near the end of the year that I was made aware of the presence of Peter Pettigrew on Hogwarts grounds and my previous doubts came back with a vengeance."

Remus continued with the story as he had lived that night at the end of their third year and from looking around the members of the Wizengamot were listening to him with rapt attention. Remus had now ventured to the scene earlier today and Mrs Bones produced the jar with the stunned rat inside.

Remus was thanked for his assistance and Mrs Bones took word again.

"As I mentioned earlier, I received some new evidence to back up the claim that Sirius Black was in fact innocent of the crimes he was imprisoned for.

Mr Harry Potter requested and was allowed access to his family vault for the first time ever earlier this summer and there he discovered letters from both his parents addressed to himself. He passed on a copy of an excerpt of the letter by his father. In the accompanying letter he writes he is only sending a copy – taken down by a Ghost Quill – because the letter is the only one he has that is written by his father specifically addressed to him. But Mr Potter also states that he'll hand the letter over for verification and authentication purposes on condition that either Mr Lupin or Mr Watkins, Mr Potter's legal representative, be present in all steps of the process.

I will read to you the passage Mr Potter has sent along.

20 October 1981

Dear Harry,

These are troubling times in our world and even more so for us. Professor Dumbledore has warned us of the possible danger you and your friend Neville are in from that monster that claims himself Lord Voldemort. It is a bit rich coming from one of mixed blood himself but he and his pure blood followers want to kill off any muggle born or mixed blooded witch and wizard to save the magical community of so called impurity.

We would prefer to stand up to him and be rid of him but you mean too much to risk your safety and have therefore taken precautions by emptying Potter Manor, moving the contents into the vault and hiding the empty building. Since everyone knows where Potter Manor is located we are hoping Riddle and his gang will spend a lot of time trying to break through the wards to get to us while at the same time we will be hiding in our summer cottage in Godric's Hollow. Professor Dumbledore suggested we use the Fidelius Charm. No one knows the little extra touch we've added. Peter Pettigrew will be Secret Keeper rather than the most expected candidate Sirius Black who will thus be a decoy. We should be safe enough. We wanted to have Remus Lupin in on it too, after all, these three are our best friends, but we didn't want to burden him with even more on top of his monthly problem.

While digging a little deeper into the matter I discovered that Mr Black was sent to Azkaban without trial or even without hearing, so he had no possibility to rectify the common assumption that he was the Potters' secret keeper.

Four aurors were called inside for security as well as Professor McGonagall who demonstrated her exceptional skills as an animagus herself by turning the rat back into a still stunned Peter Pettigrew. In order to prove the person in front of them was indeed Peter Pettigrew one of the Wizengamot elders came down to the centre stage and cast a spell called "patefacio genitor familia". Above Peter now hung a parchment like cloud. It stated his full name, listed both his nicknames of "Wormtail" and "Scabbers" and his date of birth. And a bit like the Black family tree, it also showed the names of his parents and both sets of grandparents. Since this result could not be faked or altered in any way they now knew for sure the man was indeed the previously presumed dead Peter Pettigrew.

The questioning itself was a bit of a disappointment for Harry but Remus, who picked up on Harry's mood, explained that this one was just to clear Sirius' name. A more detailed questioning would occur at Peter's own trial. At first Peter denied his identity claiming his name was Frank Smythe but he messed up a little later by saying his name was David Smythe. When confronted with the knowledge his identity had already been established beyond fail he had seemingly deflated in posture and changed into the blubbering nitwit personae that had fooled many before now claiming Sirius had made him talk to Lord Voldemort. Madame Bones however had been quick to pick up the spiel and ordered Veritaserum to be used so they could finally hear the truth. They learned that Peter was in fact a Death Eater, had indeed been the secret keeper for Harry and his family but betraying them to the Dark Lord in exchange for the promise of fame and fortune. Madame Bones also asked after the happenings of the night of the third task of the Triwizard Tournament when Cedric had died and Voldemort had been resurrected. When the Wizengamot learned of the nature of his silver hand, a healer was called in to remove it and clean up the resulting wound. The silver hand itself was stored away safely as evidence for his later Death Eater trial. When Madame Bones also asked after the happenings in the Ministry of Magic late June they heard about Voldemort's anger at being bested again by youngsters like Harry and his friends, his frustration at losing almost all of his inner circle Death Eaters, and the subsequent need to recruit less than ideal new death eaters.

With Pettigrew's questioning over one of the Wizengamot members started asking Mrs Bones for an explanation.

"My dear Mrs Bones, can you explain to us why there is this rush for this session ? Are the rumours I heard in the Ministry today true ? Did your aurors finally manage to capture Mr Black ?"

"I have no idea where those rumours came from, they are quite untrue. In a way I wish we could bring Mr Black in and question him on the situation of Halloween 1981, but he was at the Ministry fight now six weeks ago and passed away while protecting his godson from his own cousin Bellatrix Lestrange.

And to answer your - most likely next – question Mr Potter wrote in his letter that after his godfather's death he wanted to try one more time to clear his name. When Mr Potter learned the truth of the situation, a little under a year after Mr Black's escape from Azkaban, they tried to get him a hearing or even a trial or questioning under veritaserum, but Minister Fudge simply refused to listen and was going to have the Kiss administered. Mr Black escaped again and sent the occasional word to his godson. The situation in the Wizarding World since then, with the Death Eater attack at the Quidditch World Cup, the Triwizard Tournament and the hate-campaign against Mr Potter in the last year offered no hope to bring the case to light. Unfortunately by the time the tide turned more in their favour, Mr Black passed away. As his primary heir Mr Potter wanted to take this ultimate opportunity to set the record straight."

The man who'd earlier cast the Ancestry spell on Peter now spoke.

"My dear Mrs Bones, I believe I speak for all present here that there is no doubt about the man's innocence and a posthumous clearing of his name is the least we can do."

The other Wizengamot members present voiced their agreement and Mrs Bones asked the clerk to prepare a statement.

"Mr Beresford, can you please give the statement top priority ? That way we might make the deadline for tomorrow's edition of the papers."

Harry and the others returned to the here and now and sat in silence for a few moments to take in the implications of what they'd seen.

Sirius' name would be cleared ! The wizarding folk would finally learn the truth about his godfather. Too late to help the man himself but the history books at least would tell the tale as it should be.

- - - - - -

Author's Note :

Once again it's been longer than I expected since my last update, my apologies for that. Being busy in real life on top of a bit of a writer's block can do that.

Thanks for your continued reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate.

Have you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s) ? You might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along and offers a little extra info and pictures on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	28. Chapter 27

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**27 Business as usual **

Early the next morning Harry was sitting in one of the wicker chairs in the garden room adjacent to the kitchen, talking with both of Sirius' long dead relatives about the previous day's happenings while waiting for his usual early morning swimming partner, occasionally sipping his tea.

After they'd viewed in particular the hearing that decided on Sirius' innocence the mood had been dual. There was the elation for finally having cleared his name and the truth be out, but at the same time there was that sadness that all this really should have happened ages ago.

As had happened many times in the short week Harry had spent on Privet Drive this summer, his current melancholy mood had brought on his anti-dementor feeling. He had felt a warm embrace and heard a lovely woman's voice first humming then singing a lullaby. Or rather, the tune was that of a lullaby Harry recognised but the lyrics he heard were rather raunchy and it didn't take long for him to burst out laughing.

One look at the others confirmed they too had experienced the warmth and heard the song and the look on their faces made Harry laugh even louder. Remus was laughing so hard he was even crying and it took some time before he was able to explain his mirth.

The song had been a favourite of Lily's even before she was expecting Harry and both James and Sirius had often gently teased her with it, seeing as how the lyrics hinted of children and even grandchildren. While pregnant the lullaby had been a sure remedy to lighten her mood on a bad day and after giving birth Lily continued singing the song to baby Harry. But Sirius had been adamant that such a "girlie" song would be harmful for his godson and had instead created the alternative lyrics. Lily had been furious when she'd first heard and had even stopped Sirius from seeing Harry for three full days. But secretly Sirius had persisted and it wasn't until several weeks later that the men found out Lily too was known to sing the alternative version.

Many more stories of the antics of the marauders, James and Sirius in particular, followed, as told by Remus, Mr Weasley and even Professor Dumbledore recounting some of their silly and goofy pranks and the times those pranks had backfired spectacularly. In an odd sort of way the evening turned into a bit of a memorial for Sirius and to a lesser extent Harry's parents.

Mr Weasley was the first to call it a day, seeing as he was expected back at work the next morning, shortly followed by most of the others until only Remus, Professor Dumbledore and Harry remained.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore and Remus, for showing us your memories earlier this evening. It was good to see the evidence as it were first hand. It feels more real this way."

"It was the least we could do, Harry. The situation called for a 'seeing is believing' approach. Especially as it will most likely be a few days before the news really reaches the papers."

Harry chuckled as he said :

"Somehow I doubt that, Headmaster. With the anticipation and excitement of seeing the happenings of the afternoon at your end I'm sorry to say I forgot all about the news we received."

Harry showed them the afternoon headlines Rita had come up with and after that handed them the letter Paul had sent.

"Oh my," said Remus, "Minister Fudge's timing is atrocious. Well, for him at least. Albus, will he survive a second mistake like this, do you think ?"

"I believe that will largely depend on the way the press will report the happenings. Should they just get to the crux of the matter and basically ignore the first half of the meeting then Cornelius might get away with it. The next few days will tell."

"Well if this doesn't get him in trouble yet, it'll only be a matter of time before the next scandal hits." murmured Harry.

"Which one are you talking about Harry ?" asked Remus.

"All of them really, but since ours will take a little more time to prepare for I believe the investigation and case against either Ms Umbridge or some of the Death Eaters will be his first hurdle to overcome."

Remus caught Professor Dumbledore's look and answered his unspoken question. He explained about the family allowances that had been established and how exactly they'd come about. When Remus also mentioned the assistance Gringotts had promised the headmaster seemed to become more pensive and it was several minutes before he finally spoke.

"Yes, indeed. Cornelius might find a way out of the other investigations but he won't stand a chance if the goblins are against him.

"Albus, I realise that it's still a bit early but do you have an idea yet whom you could nominate for the post ?"

"I don't, Remus, and it's good of you to remind me of it. Better be prepared for when the inevitable happens. Probably be best to have two candidates too. Someone for the actual job, and someone willing to take the job during the voting process."

Harry sat listening as the two men compared several possible candidates for either of the two positions, but he was fast losing his battle against tiredness, and promising himself to look up the process of Minister elections at some stage during the remainder of the holidays he bade the two other men a good night.

It didn't take him long after getting to bed to find himself by the Veil in the Department of Mysteries and with eager anticipation he brought Sirius up-to-date with the many events that took place that day.

Surprisingly, although he was happy for Harry that his innocence was proved Sirius didn't seem too concerned with it. When Harry voiced his surprise at this his godfather was quick to explain.

"Harry, you have to understand that since I'm here it doesn't make much difference either way. It was more important to me that at the end of your third year, you heard the whole story and that you believed in my innocence and in me. And yes, of course it would have been wonderful had the truth been revealed at that time but in the here and now, I'm mainly happy for you !"

"For me, Sirius ? What difference will it make to me ?"

"An awful lot, Harry ! It wouldn't matter that you are the Boy-who-lived. An association with someone like me – or what they perceived me to be – would taint you. No, it will make a big difference that I was declared innocent."

They talked a little more and Harry told him of the lullaby incident and found to his amusement Sirius was actually embarrassed.

"Professor Dumbledore heard that ? What must he think of me ? Singing that to a wee baby !"

Harry couldn't help it and burst out laughing.

"You should have heard him when he told us about the time you and dad tried to charm all the girl's knickers out of their cupboards."

"Good lord, you mean to tell me he knew what we were up to ? He never once said …"

When Harry woke that morning he was still chuckling at Sirius' disbelief that the Headmaster had been aware of almost all of their pranks.

They were all enjoying breakfast – Harry had come to love the fresh fruit salads, flat cheese, and several types of jam and home-made honey – when Dobby arrived with several copies of the newspaper so they all could have a good read.

Sirius Black innocent

Real culprit alive and jailed, awaiting trial

By R.E. Porter

Every known and unknown reporter from the British Isles and far beyond was called into the Ministry of Magic for what the summoning claimed to be a "major break-through in the war on terror". And the story our Minister of Magic Cornelius O. Fudge gave out was indeed big. Earlier in the day, so the Minister claimed, aurors had finally tracked down the whereabouts of Sirius Black. Unfortunately in the melee of his capture Mr Black got fatally wounded.

Strangely no one from the auror or hitwizard division was present at this meeting and it was Minister Fudge himself to elaborate on the extensive research and undercover work, the planning, plans and execution of those plans when asked by the reporters present.

But it was after these usual what-why-where-when questions that things started going wrong for our Minister as someone in the crowd asked how – if indeed all the minister had just said to be true – it was possible that a Ministry hearing on 8 July had already dealt with the inheritance of the late Mr Sirius Black ? The Minister denied at first that such hearing had taken place, but when evidence in the form of a Hearing Report was produced he had to retract his denial and explained that hearing with a "**Those inheritance hearings are a bit of a joke as most of us know. The law relevant to inheritances will almost let you get away with murder.**"

As if that wasn't bad enough, the same man in the crowd now stated that later that same day of 8 July the will of Sirius Black had been executed with assistance from Gringotts, who are known to be quite punctilious about such things.

Minister Fudge's only repartee was to have the man arrested, but since no aurors were present nothing came of it. The meeting ended in chaos as reporters tried to talk to both Minister Fudge who ended up little more than fleeing the room and the man with all the unexpected information.

The situation at this point called for further investigation and I contacted Gringotts who kindly confirmed the passing of Mr Black on 24 June and the execution of the will on 8 July. When I asked how they could be certain that Mr Black was indeed dead, and not faking it, Schmegg, Head of Gringotts Bank, explained :

"It has been a long wizarding tradition to open a bank account shortly after the birth of a child. Since obviously no signatures of the new vault owner can be come by a tiny prick of blood is used instead to link and activate these vaults. So when the vault owner dies, the magic surrounding the vault will detect the passing and will automatically set in motion the process allowing us to contact next of kin or the executor of the will. It is a shame really, that the Ministry does not check with Gringotts on these matters, as we would have been able to tell for instance that Mr Peter Pettigrew, the one Mr Black was to have killed way back when is, indeed to this day, still very much alive."

Mr Pettigrew, for your information, was a friend of the Potter family, along with Mr Black, who so it was claimed confronted Sirius Black the day after that memorable Halloween night in 1981 and got killed along with several muggles, just before Sirius Black was apprehended and jailed.

I then returned to the Ministry to speak with Madame Bones, Head of the Aurors. As she had been occupied elsewhere for most of the afternoon I informed her of Minister Fudge's press meeting and his claims made at that time. She did not comment on the Minister's claims other than a very bland **"I was not aware, nor informed of this secret investigation and operation." **

When I spoke of my findings at Gringotts, after all Mr Black was jailed amongst others for the killing of Mr Pettigrew, Mrs Bones revealed to me the most recent events that took place merely hours earlier.

Her office received word from Hogwarts that an intruder had been apprehended and that assistance would be highly appreciated. Upon hearing the identity of the intruder – none other than the supposedly late Mr Pettigrew – Mrs Bones called for an unscheduled Wizengamot hearing during which evidence showed that Mr Black was innocent of the crimes he was put into Azkaban for and he was cleared of all charges as a result. For a full transcript of the Summary of the Wizengamot hearing please refer to the appropriate article.

Mrs Bones confirmed also that Sirius Black has indeed passed away and that his will has been executed. Further information can be found in the article "The Life and Death of Sirius Black"

With so much information please allow me to give you today's happenings in a short overview.

Minister Fudge calls a press meeting to announce today's locating and death of escaped Azkaban prisoner Sirius Black

Strong evidence however shows that Mr Black was killed by his cousin, known Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange just over six weeks ago during the battle at the Ministry of Magic while defending his godson, Harry Potter.

Mr Peter Pettigrew, presumed dead for nearly 15 years, is alive and well, and was apprehended roaming around Hogwarts. A first questioning has revealed that Mr Pettigrew works for and supports Lord Voldemort.

That same questioning also revealed Mr Pettigrew was in fact guilty of the crimes Mr Black was jailed for.

It became evident that Mr Black never received neither hearing nor trial and he was declared innocent after this afternoon's questioning.

If it was Minister Fudge's original intention to try and get some press attention he has done remarkably well. Only the end result is not what he envisioned, I'm sure. With Fudge telling such fabricated lies, this reporter will be looking at Fudge's earlier claims a bit better. After all, it wasn't more than six weeks ago he also had to admit that Lord Voldemort had indeed returned but that he had kept that news from the general public for some 12 months.

The two other articles recounting the Wizengamot hearing on the one hand and a description of Sirius' life and the truth about his death on the other were very accurate and well written and Harry was secretly happy that this Robert Porter was a much better reporter than Rita Skeeter.

After breakfast they returned to their schedule of morning classes, or at least, that was the idea. But Mr Black, now in good form with his Ghost Quill, had already been able to produce many sheets of parchment filled with all kinds of stories and asked their opinion on the writing. He'd handed them a few parchments with a different story each. It didn't take them that long to read but they exchanged stories and in the end were very adamant in their praise.

After lunch Harry had some business to take care of. As per their earlier agreement, any correspondence regarding Wolf Liar was handled by Lily, who could deliver the post unnoticed by the others, Remus in particular, directly to Harry's bedroom-study. Apparently Paul Watkins, the Waverley brothers, Elijah Teague and both Griphook and Schmegg had had quite a successful meeting regarding the first draft of the proposed plans and had worked out every aspect of the project, including different possibilities and strategies.

One of the propositions sounded really good to Harry. It seemed that one of Gringotts' former Head Goblins had been sympathetic to one of the clients of the bank and had purchased from him a large plot of land when said client had been in dire straits. Unfortunately for Gringotts the goblins themselves couldn't really do much with the property and in all the years since the purchase neither had any wizard been interested. But for this project the plot was ideal. Situated in quite some square miles of its own countryside was a complete small but empty muggle village. Abandoned many decades ago the goblins had put up preservation charms on all properties so the state of disrepair wasn't too high and the light muggle repelling charms over the area had further guaranteed the status quo of the place.

Phase one of the plans would require quite some extensive use of magic but would last relatively short and would prepare the village for general use and habitation again and allow the small-scale start up of Wolf Liar. Phase two would involve the building of the laboratories and actual nursery for the plants and would bring about quite some jobs. Phase three would involve the set up of the nursery itself and the start up of the proper plans.

But since they would most likely need plenty of LeBon potion as soon as its existence became widely known the old school house in the village could be used as both meeting point, potion lab and small scale nursery for the rarer plants required.

After reading the other options and alternatives, Harry prepared a note to Paul Watkins who was the coordinator for the Wolf Liar Project, gave his opinion on the different proposals and made a few suggestions toward positive discrimination when the time came to hire personnel.

Harry also informed him he was sending out the note to Griphook to cancel the allowances for both Mrs Malfoy and Mrs Lestrange in order to stop them from getting any more money from the Black estate and set in motion the legal procedure against Minister Fudge.

There was an evening edition of the papers and after reading the article Remus warned Harry he might well get bombarded with mail again. The article revealed that Harry had been sole beneficiary of Sirius' will but hinted at the same time that the previous wealth of the Blacks had diminished in recent history due to the exorbitant family allowances. A note delivered by Lily surprisingly came from Robert Porter explaining the reasoning behind actually publishing the fact he'd inherited the Black estate.

"I realise that you would have preferred not to make your inheritance public, but by announcing it like this you will not only cut short any speculation as to whom and how much was involved. The Black Family have been rumoured to be very wealthy and possess many dark arts items so revealing yourself as the heir will also put people's mind at ease that these cursed things will be handled correctly."

Harry hadn't though of things from that perspective so couldn't find fault with the reasoning and sent a note of thanks to the reporter. The following days went by without much happening out of the ordinary. Harry received a few letters of condolences on the loss of his godfather from some of the DA members and from people he'd never heard of but the avalanche of letters Remus had predicted never materialised, for which Harry was very happy.

From Paul he also received word that the allowance for the Tonks family could now legally be set up so Harry was quick to invite Mr and Mrs Tonks over for the Saturday dinner along with an invitation for the week's holiday on the beach.

With Harry's preference for the conversion of the old muggle village into the giant Wolf Lair project the team had been quick to start up the project by purchasing the plot from Gringotts, and making up the final plans. Robert Porter had been advised of the project and would prepare an article to be printed when the time was right.

Looking to do something totally different on Thursday evening Harry remembered the boxes with personal belongings of both Sirius and his dad Orion. Not certain about what he'd find he'd suggested to Remus and the others to go through Sirius' dad's boxes first. Remus did not expect to find anything dangerous but they still proceeded with caution.

The result of their perusing was quite unexpected though. Several boxes turned out to contain nothing but very smart clothes. As Ron tried one of the cloaks on Mrs Weasley noticed the garment adjusted to his size so Remus suggested they check all of them to see which they could recuperate and wear themselves. Several of the boxes however had a surprising content. Amongst a large amount of sometimes half written letters and notes, inkwells, spare parchment and quills in all sizes and some pretty expensive looking jewellery were lots of photos. Quite a number were obviously taken while Sirius was at Hogwarts. A still young Sirius proudly showing off his Gryffindor cloak, posing with either James or Remus by the Hogwarts Express as they were off for their first ever trip to school if the lack of House emblem was anything to go by. Sirius posing with seven other boys in Quidditch robes, a grinning James Potter at centre stage. The photos were mainly of Sirius at various stages during his Hogwarts years but there were also several of later years as a few of them showed Sirius at the Potter wedding and even one with a very dark haired baby in his arms. Though fewer in number, a second series of magical pictures depicted a family of three. The tall man looked like an average man, with short light brown hair. But his eyes showed laughter and love for the two women in his arms. There was no doubt that this was Tonks and her parents, as the young girl was showing off her pink and blue and back to pink hair. The older woman was tall and curvaceous, had wavy brown hair with reddish tints and grey eyes like most of the Black family. But Harry was struck by her resemblance to the youngest of the four Black brothers. She was supposed to be the middle daughter of Regulus but looked nothing like him, and instead favoured Alphard quite strikingly.

After choosing a few of the pictures to put in his own album Harry asked Hermione to cast the sorting charm on them so they could be put up in an album of their own. Remus, Ginny and the twins in the mean while were reading the parchments at random to see what exactly they were. The parchments appeared to be a mix of drafts of letters sent, letters received and what looked like diary entries of some sort. Remus suggested to first sort them by date with the same charm as the one used on the pictures and to only then separate them into different categories. Fred and George made the suggestion to best treat it as a bit of an emergency. The diary entries Mr Black had made detailed he'd been suspicious of the sudden increase of visits from Mrs Malfoy to his wife and even linked his sudden loss of appetite and general deterioration of his health to them.

Remus took charge of the parchments and would make sure they were sorted and forwarded as required to Paul Watkins and maybe even Madame Bones. As for the jewellery Harry figured that maybe Mrs Tonks might be interested in some of her uncle's things as mementos.

As there were far fewer boxes representing Sirius they decided to go ahead and sort through those too. Again several boxes contained clothes but these were mainly from his very young years. But the rest turned out to be a real treasure trove of its own. There were letters and notes addressed to Sirius from James Potter, Lily Evans and later Lily Potter, from Remus and also Peter Pettigrew. A copy of his OWL and NEWT results and many more school related parchments. More poignant was the discovery of a half finished letter addressed to Harry he'd been writing just before he died.

And amongst all these papers they found the same mix as in his dad's boxes of quills and jewellery and other knickknacks. One complete set of watch, tiepin and cufflinks Remus was able to identify as a present from the elder Potters upon Sirius' NEWT results. Hermione found a simple necklace with a small figure of a dog attached and Remus told them Sirius had it made when Harry was born.

"In fact there were two of them made, Harry, so when you go to the Potter vault again you could look out for yours. Lily used to joke it was Sirius' way to claim part ownership of you."

That night when everybody else had long gone to bed, Harry finished reading some of the latest entries in the Black Book and made his way down to the garden room and had a long conversation with Alphard Black about his findings.

On Friday morning they had a DADA class again where Remus and Mr Black combined their resources and taught them an old and forgotten version of the stunning spell. Unlike the general version where anyone could undo the spell damage this required the original caster to undo the stunning. As a drawback it took a little longer to cast which was probably the reason it got disused. But with a little extra effort and especially practice it would do very well for the DA. With the weather finally showing signs of improvement they spent the afternoon flying and playing quidditch of sorts.

Saturday morning they had their first real potions class and the students were unanimous in their praise. Elijah had first given them a copy of his manual with an overview of the things they should have learned in the first five years. Especially for Ginny who had yet to see the fifth year's potions every entry be it ingredient, tool, technique or potion was marked at what level it was taught. Harry could see how this would be a very handy reference tool and promised himself to make sure to update it as the year progressed.

The lesson itself turned out to be the exact opposite of how they'd learned under Snape. Elijah explained about the potion, the different stages and what it should look like at any given point in the process. He gave them hints on what to look out for and offered ways to correct mistakes and all that before they started the brewing itself so they had the chance to note it all down properly. And even while brewing he would give them hints, show them better techniques for preparing their ingredients and write down those extra tips on the blackboard so they could copy them after the brewing was finished.

Lunchtime was quite lively with the added presence of Tonks, their Potions teacher and his friends. During afternoon DADA they learnt that the old stunning spell had even been forgotten by the aurors. Tonks was very interested to learn of the impossibility for anyone other than the caster to undo the stunning and they ended up spending far more time than planned practising.

Fortunately Harry managed to be ready just in time to greet his guests. First to arrive were Professor Dumbledore with Hermione's parents who were looking decidedly dishevelled. Apparently their return trip from their holiday had been seriously delayed and they'd only just made it home minutes before Professor Dumbledore arrived to pick them up. But Harry put them ease asking Dobby to show them to their room where they could freshen up and find spare sets of clothing.

Soon after, Mrs Longbottom and the three eldest Weasley kids arrived, all having decided that they would enjoy a holiday in the sun. Last to arrive were Mr and Mrs Tonks and Harry was very relieved that their daughter had made it back to the Hall by the time they arrived.

Andromeda Black might have been cast from her birth family for marrying a muggle born wizard but she had obviously done the better deal if even half of Sirius' stories about the family were true. Mr and Mrs Tonks greeted their only daughter with a hug, a smiling scolding for the spiky pink hairstyle and a quick kiss to that same hair and to Harry it represented the way families in his youthful dreams had always acted.

After welcoming the couple to Black Manor, a promise of a tour after dinner and a tearful but happy reunion with Blythe, they made their way to the garden room adjacent to the kitchen – diner where they took pre-dinner drinks. After a very lively dinner Harry took Ted and Andy as the couple had wished to be called on a tour of the house, ending in the study.

"There are a few more things I'd like to tell you that I believe would best be done in private. First off, it sounds a little over the top, but, as Head of the family, I'd like to welcome you and your family back in the folds of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

Next, Andy, there are quite a few things I need to tell and explain. I'm … "

Feeling as nervous as he did about the news he, a sixteen year old kid, had to tell this near stranger, he almost jumped as Andy interrupted him.

"You found out, didn't you, Harry ? That I'm not the one everybody thinks I am ?" she said with a sad smile.

"I suspected when I saw pictures of the four Black brothers and then some of you that we found amongst Orion's personal possessions. How long have you known, Andy ?"

"I overheard my mother talking to my aunt Lysandra when Uncle Sirius died. I was shocked and happy at the same time as it explained a few worries I'd had. At the time I'd just started dating Ted and I knew the consequences of that beforehand, but after that kind of news I didn't really care. We got married shortly after. My only regret is that I never got to tell my real dad that I knew and was happy about it."

"I'm happy to hear you say that, Andy, as it makes my other news so much better. You see, there's an ancestor of yours, who chose to stay behind to look after future generations of Blacks. Due to the nature of the inheritance charms that he himself had set up, he's been invisible to all until I came but he has seen your secret visits with Orion. The reason I wanted to warn you ahead is that he shares more than just our Sirius' name.

I also retrieved a portrait from the vault of someone who wanted to have the opportunity of talking to you."

Author's Note :

Hope you have enjoyed the Holidays and are ready to tackle another year. May the New Year make all your dreams come true Would that include the wish for a rapid publication of Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, I wonder ! and keep you in good health.

Thanks for your continued reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate.

Have you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s) ? You might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along and offers a little extra info and pictures on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	29. Chapter 28

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**28 The Usual Business**

"Father !"

Andy cried and laughed at the same time as she saw the man in the painting. Uncle Black clearly showed his surprise at the way she addressed him.

"How did you … ? Harry, did you … ?" he queried as he looked from Harry to his daughter.

"No, father, I've known since uncle Sirius died. I just never got the chance to tell you in person. I was so happy with the news."

Harry interrupted the reunion of sorts to introduce Mr Black to the couple and then left them alone for what amounted to a very personal talk.

Ted emerged from the study some twenty minutes later and asked for his daughter to join them. It was almost an hour later before the family emerged again, this time with Ted carrying Uncle Black's painting.

While he was busy placing Uncle Black's painting at the strategically best place in the sitting room Dobby and Winky were inviting every one to assemble there. It wasn't very long before they were all seated and Andy took the floor.

"Our daughter tells me that Harry considers you all as his family, and as he is head of the family I once belonged to, was kicked out of and have now been welcomed back to along with my husband and daughter, that makes you all our family also. And as such we believe you should all hear this too."

There were a few murmurs of "Not necessary at all." and "There's really no need." but Andy continued nevertheless.

"As I'm only the result of the story, I'd like you to hear it from one of the main parties involved, Alphard Black, my father."

Predictably the only reactions came from the few older magical people who realised the implications of Andy's last statement.

"Please allow me to give you a bit of the background story first." started Uncle Black.

"The usual succession of an estate is from eldest son to his eldest son, only taking sidesteps in case the eldest son has no male children and that is how in reality it also goes in the Black family. However, for the past 250 years or so it looked like the Black family used the different policy of having the first male grandchild become the next heir, irregardless of which of the siblings produced that heir. And so that's why my two eldest brothers Sirius and Regulus started the race to produce that firstborn male child of the next generation.

Sirius and Regulus married within months from each other, Regulus not even 20 yet. Sirius' wife Lysandra became pregnant almost immediately, but when the baby came it was stillborn. Six months later Bellatrix was born and Lysandra, who was pregnant again, miscarried just weeks later.

My two eldest brothers were going crazy by then, as Orion at 18 had fallen for our cousin Wally and was about to get married. Lysandra had two further miscarriages but Druella, Regulus' wife, after having a miscarriage shortly after Bellatrix' birth, came up with a solution of her own. I have no idea if Regulus was aware of it, but Druella tried to seduce both Orion – who was too besotted with Wally to notice what was going on - and myself. I didn't know what to do or where to turn. I was sixteen and I think it was the only summer I couldn't wait for Hogwarts to start up again. And then at the end of August, Druella got me drunk, had her way with me and - as it turned out later - became pregnant.

It wasn't until a few days after my return to Hogwarts that I started to get an idea of what had actually happened that night when all these images kept popping up in my head. At the time I had no inkling of why Druella had done such a thing and I didn't connect Andy's birth with that night either. It wasn't until a few years later, as the girls grew up that I started having my suspicion and by then there was nothing really I could do.

Poor Lysandra had two more miscarriages and another baby stillborn while Druella produced another daughter. The two men kept pushing their wives, but it wasn't until Orion had openly said that after Wally's own miscarriage they would wait for at least a year before trying for a baby again that my two sisters-in-law finally protested. And then quite a while later along came Sirius, followed by his brother Regulus some 15 months later and the race was won by the brother who wasn't in the race in the first place."

"That's why Draco Malfoy is so haughty, isn't it ? His family have always believed him to be the heir apparent." pondered Hermione.

"That's right, and with what little I know of this generation of Malfoys, if he's anything like his father Abraxas, they won't have waited with spending the money in advance." remarked Uncle Black.

"Andy, my dear," asked Mrs Longbottom, "how is it that you are so calm about the news ? Surely it came as a shock to find out your father wasn't your father, but your uncle ?"

"Oh I can assure you that it was a big shock and at the same time quite a relief when I found out. But that was 25 years ago when uncle Sirius passed away."

They continued talking but soon, with the serious stuff now out of the way little groups started to form. Messrs Granger, Tonks, Weasley and surprisingly Percy sat talking about muggle things. Charlie, Fred, George, Neville, Ron and Ginny were obviously talking about quidditch. Bill, Remus, Tonks and Professor Dumbledore were occupied in a serious conversation, by the looks on their faces. And the Mmes Tonks, Granger, Weasley and Longbottom, along with Hermione, were talking about the four Black brothers and Harry decided to go and get the photo albums they'd made with the pictures from the vault and Orion's personal belongings.

The evening continued on with several conversations in ever mixing groups of people and they all went to bed with a content feeling.

Sunday morning nine o'clock found the Hall crowded with people and their luggage. With the parents of both Hermione and Tonks, the full Weasley clan, and Neville and his grandmother present for a holiday in the sun the party now counted nineteen members. Everybody stood chattering in anticipation of their move and they had not noticed the move had taken place already. It wasn't until Harry stood on the fourth step of the stairs and 'hem-hem-ed' a few times that all eyes were on him.

"Welcome to Black Island Manor. Remus and I hope you'll enjoy your stay here. Now since there are so many of us you have the option to stay in one of the beach bungalows scattered around the island instead of the main house. These bungalows have bedrooms, a sitting room and a kitchen-dining room. The kitchen cupboards and cold boxes have an automatic link to the ones in the main house kitchen that will be kept well stocked with both fresh food and ready-to-heat meals.

You will also find a message board in the kitchen area of the bungalows and the main house. You'll find detailed instructions on how to use them, but in short you can address a message to one person or the whole group. In case your bungalow refuses to let you out you can best either check the message board before leaving or you'll need to put on more sun cream.

For the rest I would say, go and explore, install yourselves as you please and above all … enjoy."

Besides Harry and Remus only Tonks and her parents stayed in the main house, all the others opted to stay in one of the bungalows. They agreed to eat that first lunch on the island together and the only one not in the know of the real reason was mighty surprised to find it didn't take place in the kitchen area but rather the real dining room. The place was decorated with party streamers and balloons and as soon as she entered the others started a slightly off key version of Happy Birthday. Harry, this time as an onlooker, saw in Ginny's face almost the exact same emotions and thoughts as those he had felt a week and a half ago and he vaguely wondered if they too had at that time felt the slight apprehension that came from wondering if the birthday girl would actually like his present.

After a delicious meal that had all of Ginny's favourite dishes it was time for the presents and she attacked the pile without restraint. The first she picked up was a small but heavy box from Tonks' parents. The paperweight in the form of a unicorn looked a little dull at first but as if orchestrated the twins swayed a little and so allowed a beam of sunlight to hit the figurine. It turned the image almost life-like and Ginny beamed up at the couple in thanks. Hermione, always practical, bought her a deluxe version of a study planner but her parents had added a frivolous note to it by buying scented and coloured muggle ink, along with a certificate to get refills of her favourites. Neville and his gran provided additional vouchers to some of the more popular shops in Hogsmeade and from Tonks she received a simple gold bracelet that had two little charms attached in the form of a cat and a broom. Her six brothers had combined their resources and got her a brand new trunk, the Teen Witch Special. Charlie joked not to expect the same grandeur from it as Harry's trunk but Ginny was speechless at the unexpected gift. At first glance it looked a lot like Harry's, made from similar pale wood, but it had none of the extensive security measures and it came with only three compartments. There was the usual trunk compartment and a more modest sized walk in clothes cum storage cupboard. When Ginny went to inspect the third compartment the reactions it got from the females made it clear to Harry that this was the something that made it a Teen Witch Special. It provided a dressing table with a large mirror and offered a wide range in all kinds of beauty products in a multitude of colours. Charlie went on to explain the supply of products would not only last at least five years and could then be upgraded to more mature versions, the mirror could also recognise up to three different people and provide each with a personalised palette of products. The present was an obvious hit with Ginny as she hugged and kissed her brothers into a serious attack of blushes.

The next present came from Professor Dumbledore and Ginny looked the Gryffindor-red leather bound diary over with some trepidation. The letter that accompanied the present must have put her a bit more at ease as she looked at the book in more detail. As she opened the front cover a very colourful quill became visible and she took it from its specially designed space on the inside of the book. Writing her name on the first page resulted however in the text to disappear just as had happened in Riddle's diary and Harry was not surprised to see her shut the book with some force. Surprisingly the front leather covered side now sported her name in gold script very much like her own handwriting, and, as a very cute addition also visible was a small image of a lion. When Ginny went to touch the figure a decidedly purring sound could be heard and Ginny smiled at the discovery. Tonks, who was seated next to Ginny bent over to touch the animal also but was quick to snap away her hand as the lion had taken a more protecting stance and let out a mighty roar. The demonstration was just what Ginny had needed to take away the last of her fears it might be a repeat of Riddle's diary and she turned to the last present, a box equally as large as the one from her brothers that contained the combined present from Remus and himself. It held a very nice but simple cat basket in cream with small touches of the Gryffindor colours along with the paperwork for a Pet Care Account that would cover any bills associated with her new pet, from special food to toys, treats and veterinary bills. The cat basket also contained a very nice stuffed muggle toy cat with a wizarding picture attached to its collar. The picture was of the latest litter of kneazles that his Mrs Figg had. The kittens at only two weeks old however were too young to be taken away from their mum and Ginny would have to wait several more weeks before she'd get her very own kitten. As understanding had fully taken over Harry had no need to doubt their present was more than well received and after the Weasley boys it was now his turn to receive thanks from the birthday girl that made him blush as hard as her brothers had.

The party continued on until teatime when the house elves served up a scrumptious birthday cake. After tea however the lure of the sunny island was simply too great and they made their way outside.

It was the start of a great, sunny and especially relaxed and lazy week. Early every morning, as had become his habit, Harry met up with Ginny for a swim. They then returned to their respective kitchens where Harry had breakfast with Remus, and sometimes any one or all members of the Tonks family. Harry spent most of the morning outside in a semi shady spot, often accompanied by Lily, Hedwig and the two lovebirds. After a lunch, taken again in company of any one of those occupying Black Manor, Harry stayed safely inside until after teatime, reading any book the library presented him with.

On Tuesday Professor McGonagall appeared in the Main Hall. Harry who had just come to the kitchen to get some juice heard the soft 'pop' as she apparated in and called for her to join them outside. It looked like Professor Dumbledore hadn't told her of the Island judging by the surprise visible on her face as she took in the view through the kitchen windows.

"Sweet Merlin, Harry, where are we ? Surely this isn't England ?"

"Indeed Professor, welcome to Black Island Manor. I know we're in the tropics somewhere but as to its exact location ? I've no clue."

"It makes a nice change from the dreary summer we've experienced that's for sure. Anyway, other than hoping to spend a few hours in your library I was also asked to take back the instructions for the dandelion juice to Hogwarts this afternoon. With a slight improvement in the weather forecast for the next few days, the elves hope to start picking them the day after tomorrow."

"That is indeed good news. And collecting the instructions won't take but a moment, as I had them ready on my desk. But professor, are you free the next few days ? Would you like to spend a few days in the tropics too before the onslaught of students start again ? We are staying here until at least Friday evening and there is a little and secluded bungalow free. It has all mod cons and all the books you'd like to read. You'd be more than welcome."

"Hmm, that does sound tempting and the things I planned doing can wait for a few more days. Very well, Mr Potter. I accept your kind invitation. If you could give me the instructions, I'll head back to Hogwarts to pack and return as soon as I can."

On Thursday they all had dinner together as Mr Granger wanted to show Mr Weasley all about muggle barbecues and they had great fun. Afterwards however Harry and Remus had a hard time explaining the puzzled house elves about the concept of eating charred or underdone meat and still enjoying it.

When Saturday morning came around even Harry was loath to say goodbye to the Island but the prospect of another Potions lesson made up for the slight disappointment.

They had another great session with Elijah and Harry told him about the dandelion juice that was being prepared as they spoke. At the end of the session however they got a first glimpse of what all lessons at Hogwarts would now be like when Elijah asked them to research the potion they would make the next week.

After another DADA session with Tonks and Remus they spent the time between tea and dinner outside as the British summer weather had finally turned warm and sunny again. Shortly after dinner Harry received a confirmation from Luna and her dad they'd be over the next day for lunch and that Luna would stay for the remainder of summer.

Mr Lovegood was nothing like Harry had imagined. Other than having the same protuberant silvery grey eyes Mr Lovegood was Luna's opposite in every other way. His black hair was cropped short and the tall broad-shouldered man had an aura of wit and knowledge. Harry also noted that Luna didn't seem quite so detached and dreamy as usual. A conversation with her dad confirmed his earlier observations and explained a lot about Luna. She was very sensitive to other people's emotions so an environment like Hogwarts with lots of people about was very hard on her. But now, after nearly seven weeks of near solitude, she'd had a chance to just be herself.

On Sunday evening, a lot of the extra guests made to leave for their own homes again and a lot of arrangements were made. With plans to stay in Grimmauld Place for the last few days of the holidays Harry invited everyone to re-join them there. With the Tonks family he made an appointment to visit the Black vault together. Alphard had asked Harry to pass on some jewellery to Andy, that he had inherited from a maternal grandmother and would have been passed on to Sirius. Harry had been quick to agree as he wanted the two women to pick anything that caught their fancy in there anyway.

With the arrival of Monday morning they returned to their original schedules of morning classes and free afternoons. On Tuesday Harry had a visitor in Paul Enseel, the painter Professor Dumbledore had recommended. After being contacted by Paul Watkins the man had agreed to the conditions and only afterwards had heard his client was to be Harry.

Not knowing what to expect Harry had an image of a very bohemian person in his mind but Mr Enseel was quite a surprise. Probably only a few years younger than Remus he looked more like a businessman than an artist. His light brown hair was cut in a fashionable way and he wore a simple dark blue suit with white shirt. The only thing that distracted from the image was the very ragged holdall he had in his hand and bulging portfolio tucked under his arm.

"Welcome to my home, Mr Enseel."

"Thank you, Mr Potter. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Little Paul ?" came hesitantly from Remus.

With a wide smile on his face the artist turned his attention to Remus. "You didn't know it was me coming ?"

"No, I never really connected Little Paul with the famous painter. What a pleasant surprise !"

"I presume you know each other ?" smiled Harry.

"Oh, yes, Mr Potter. You see, in the holiday before I started at Hogwarts I was allowed to join my father when he painted the portrait of your grandparents, your father and Mr Black. By the time school started I worshipped the ground they walked on." explained the man with a slightly embarrassed look.

"Merlin, yes I do remember those early days," added Remus, "but you and your friends were the best thing to ever happen to them, especially for James." And as he turned to Harry he continued his explanation. "Paul and his fellow first year gryffindors acted a bit like Colin Creevey did - and does," amusement clear in his voice when he saw Harry's face when he mentioned the boy's name. "At first both James and Sirius were very flattered by all the worshipping, but shortly after the incident with Severus happened, James especially realised the influence they had on these youngsters and changed his ways."

"Oh Merlin, yes, I still shudder when I think of what could have happened if James hadn't intervened ?"

The look on Remus' face indicated he had no idea what Paul was talking about so Harry asked for an explanation. Paul Enseel answered, surprise clear in his voice.

"He didn't tell you ?"

A shake of Remus' head was enough for the other man to continue.

"We were preparing for a grand prank when James caught us in the act. I'd never seen him quite so angry or shocked before, but I quickly understood when he explained exactly what the consequences could be if something went wrong. It would have been nasty, both for the recipients of the prank and us. I guess you could say being expelled would have been the least of our possible punishment."

"That was the day before Halloween, wasn't it ?" asked Remus.

"Why yes, it was. We'd planned the prank for the next day."

"He never said anything about it, but I knew something big had happened. After that he was a lot more cautious with his pranking."

The two men sat in contemplative silence for a minute when Harry decided to bring the conversation back.

"You said your father is a painter too, sir ?"

"My father passed away seven years ago, but yes, he was. In fact, our family records go back quite a long time and in the last twenty-five generations at least one ancestor per generation went into professional painting. I understood from the recent newspaper article that you've never had access to the Potter estate, so you might not know this, but our records also show that quite a few of your ancestors liked the work of my ancestors, and if you're interested, I have taken the photographs of those paintings from our archives to show them to you."

"Yes please, that would be wonderful."

The artist took his hold-all, searched through it and removed a small photo album. After enlarging the album Harry saw several more family portraits of his family as well as land- and seascapes. The final three paintings in the album Harry knew well. They were the two that he'd taken from the vault and that hopefully would feature in the new one, and the third was hanging in the bedroom of his Deluxe Apartment in his trunk.

After Paul Enseel showed him some of his work and Harry explained the different paintings he wanted to commission, he took Mr Enseel up the stairs to the third floor so the man could make pictures of the view Harry wanted painted. Together with Remus they then agreed on the pose for the "Potter-heir-at-16" painting and more pictures were taken.

After spending some time outside to take even more pictures Remus, Harry and Paul Enseel agreed they would visit his studio just before Harry started his 6th year at Hogwarts to look at the progress made and to make a first payment.

Author's Note :

Having an unusual early start to my weekend and with the next chapter finished I figured I'd treat you all to an equally early posting. Hope you enjoy it !

Thanks for your continued reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate.

Have you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s) ? You might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along and offers a little extra info and pictures on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	30. Chapter 29

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

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**29 How time flies when you're having fun **

With the weather still in good form that Wednesday afternoon Mrs Weasley took Winky, Beatrice and Blythe along to the Burrow again to pick up any produce from the vegetable garden. Harry and his friends decided to finish their version of the Map of Black Manor and the surrounding area, so they could leave one of the two behind for Remus, Mr Black and the house elves.

Rather than just copying what was on the Manor made map they wanted a fun afternoon romping through the woods in search of beautiful spots. The first part would be a little boring. All they needed to do was play a game of giant connect-the-dots. The square form of the immaculate lawn area close to the house lent itself perfectly for this. Ron, Hermione, Neville and George took position in each of the four corners and all the others were left to do was connect the dots that appeared in the vast blank space. They took turns in playing artist and 'dot' and managed to create quite an accurate image of the garden onto the map.

As they'd been preparing to draw the outside perimeter of the maze Neferti had come to take a closer look at their antics and was mighty interested in the result of their work.

"Harry, will you be doing the forest as well ?"

"That is the plan, Neferti. Would you or the others have objections to that ?"

"Not really, it's your forest after all, but …" She hesitated to continue and Harry was quick to pick up the untold message.

"There are some places that they consider home and as such don't like intruders there. Is that it ?"

Neferti sighed and nodded her head relieved. Harry understood the situation.

"Tell you what. You've seen how we did it to mark certain larger areas, didn't you ?" At Neferti's nod, Harry continued.

"Ask them to mark off their special spots in a similar way for us as we approach, and we'll label that area as their territory. We would appreciate it though if they could guide us a bit through the forest ? Maybe show us some of the more beautiful and dangerous areas there may be around for us, like say a river, or holes in the ground. I'll give them my word that we will never knowingly enter their territory unless there is an emergency. Do you think that would be alright ?"

Neferti's beaming smile said more than the words she uttered and she would be back in the next half hour to start them on their tour.

Harry and his friends in the mean while packed water, fruit juice and snacks in a couple of backpacks with a feather light charm on them and changed to wear decent walking footwear. Remus took the opportunity to demonstrate and teach them the communication spell the Order used a lot. They'd seen it used twice already : once by Remus just before the dementor attack in Diagon Alley, and a little more recent by the Headmaster when Peter Pettigrew was apprehended.

The incantation "expecto patronum internuntius" turned the patronus-defender into a patronus-messenger and since it was a much smaller version of your patronus even people unable to conjure a full bodied patronus could use the messenger spell.

The average wizard or witch would manage to use the spell at short distances. But with practice and depending on the magical power of the caster the spell had the potential to send messages across the country and receive a clear message in return. At the moment Professor Dumbledore was the only known person to be able to communicate at any distance, since his phoenix patronus was able to flash anywhere, just like a real phoenix could.

It was a bit tricky at first to cast as you had to think of the happy memory in order to cast the patronus and almost simultaneous include the desired message and the recipient of that message.

With a little practice the patronus would, after delivering the message, return to the caster as if to say he'd accomplished his mission, or, when an answer was required, the patronus would come back and carry the return message. Remus did explain that this way of messaging took a bit of getting used to but was very useful in certain situations. They agreed they would use the afternoon expedition as a practice round for the spell and Remus would be both caster and recipient so they could experience both sides.

They started out on their excursion in good form. After all, even though Black Manor had everything going for it, they still started to feel a little cooped up.

They started out with only Neferti as their guide and had been walking for a little while when they approached their first target. In what Harry considered a quite densely wooded area they came to a quite large open space.

Neferti told them the unicorns had their place close by so they marked the border of the open area as best as they could and named it Unicorn Field. The appearance of one of the mature unicorns accompanied by the little one Harry had seen earlier, was the sign that the rest of his herd was ready marking their territory.

The next several hours they spent traipsing through the woods marking all kinds of interesting places, some they were sure to visit again. Neferti accompanied them along the way to act as interpreter and the inhabitants of the forest were very generous in showing them some of the prettiest places and indicating areas where trouble could be found.

They were marking another small clearing in the otherwise dense woodland. The floor was covered with some creeping vine and Remus lost his footing on the uneven surface and twisted his ankle. He fixed the problem in no time, thanks to taking Basic Healing in his NEWT years, but he did suggest they take a break before continuing their walk. Neferti on the other hand was eager to return home and with no further creatures or beings to be found this side of the estate she left them to make their way back alone.

Taking this break as a good testing opportunity of the range of their newly acquired messaging spell Remus was installed in a sunny patch, resting his back against a tree, while the group went off. From ever increasing distances they sent messages to each other and Remus and according to the map Harry consulted every so often they all managed to cover quite a good distance.

Just as they decided to try once more from even greater distance Harry received a message from Remus saying that something was getting close to him. The next moment he heard a shout in the distance and Harry was quick to open the map to see what was happening.

From the corner of his eye he thought he saw movement in the house but he paid it no heed as he saw that Remus and a second person were now moving. Not sure what the little icon was supposed to be he sent a message to the others and hurried over to where Remus and a Griet Grootmens were currently located. Just as Harry threw yet another look at the map to make sure he was still heading in the right direction Remus and the other disappeared off the map.

For a few heart-stopping moments Harry panicked at the idea of losing Remus too, but mercifully reason quickly kicked in. It didn't make sense for the both of them to disappear of the map unless …

Throwing another quick look at the map Harry now saw that one after the other the twins, Ron and Neville too were disappearing. Most likely they had crossed the border of the Black Manor estate and Harry was quick to send his friends messages not to use magic for the time being and included the reason. Harry then set off again in the direction his wand had shown after casting the "Point-me-Remus" spell.

He paused for a moment as he came to a brook, not too wide to cross but he'd have wet feet for sure if he did. He consulted the map and saw Ginny and Luna had met up and just then Luna too disappeared off the map. Sending the question if Luna had just crossed a brook, he then redid the "Point-me-Remus" spell and found Remus to be located to the left of him. He stayed on the Black estate side of the brook and was glad he did, as he was able to hide away in the undergrowth when finally he found Remus and his abductor.

From his safe position behind the bushes he sent his friends another message and the "guide-them-home" spell he'd read about in one of the books and then took the time to observe the situation.

Almost immediately Harry's fears disappeared. For Griet Grootmens at first glance did not pose a threat. With two long blond ponytails fastened with large pink bows hanging on either side of her chubby face and dressed in what Harry could only call kiddie clothes he might have been looking at one of the young girls playing in the park in Little Whinging. What would make this toddler stand out back in Little Whinging was the fact she was probably twice Harry's size !

He continued observing the giant child and what she was doing. Remus must have been knocked out and was propped unceremoniously against a tree. The girl kept fiddling with things and kept up a steady stream of chatter Harry couldn't make out. Ginny, Luna and Hermione made it back quickest and after voicing his suspicions to the girls and some additional observation they agreed with his conclusion. In the young girl's eyes Remus was a doll !

The other boys reappeared mere moments before Remus started to regain consciousness and thus their quickly improvised rescue plan lacked finesse and total success. The obvious glee of the little big girl at the appearance of two other dolls, transfigured from a stick of wood and then enlarged, drew the attention of the girl's frantic father and the group found themselves confronted with a giant ready to defend his precious daughter.

"Papa, kijk ! De mooie poppen dansen." Daddy, look ! The pretty dolls are dancing. Exclaimed the little girl as she saw her father. The man looked around at the scene before him and was quick to realise the danger was not that big.

Somehow Harry was able to communicate a little with the man who didn't speak much English. As Remus was still too groggy to be much help Harry called for Lily and sent off a scribbled message to the headmaster asking for any kind of aid.

While they waited for a response the twins did their best to diffuse the awkwardness of the situation. They kept the two dolls animated, now dancing to the tune of a children's song the three witches sang. The little big girl was fascinated and clapping with merriment as her father was watching the whole proceedings with a benign smile on his face.

Lily reappeared, dropped a note for Harry and flashed away again, only to reappear once again a mere minute later with two passengers. Harry immediately recognised the tall form of Hagrid but the blond woman that was with him he'd never seen before. She had quickly cast a Sonorus on herself and was now talking with the giant. Happy to be able to talk to someone he understood the giant man was visibly relaxing as they spoke. The blond woman now turned to Harry to ask what had happened and he explained they presumed that the young girl stumbled upon a dozing Remus and took him along thinking he was a doll. Remus must have been taken by surprise and probably banged his head against a tree at some stage.

While the woman was translating this, Hagrid explained to them that Miss Freija was the new Ancient Runes teacher and had Norwegian ancestors so she knew the language. Harry thought she looked just like he imagined the Scandinavian people to look : tall, slim, blond and blue-eyed. As she was also very pretty and still young – Harry figured she might be in her mid-twenties – this year it might well be the male population of Hogwarts that found themselves in a similar position as the witches had the year Lockhart came.

Her conversation with the giant over for now the blond teacher turned to them and started to fill them in on the giant man's story. He was Geert Grootmens, the eldest son of the chief of his clan. Several clans had fled their home in the fjords of Norway more than a hundred years ago and they had after many travels settled in the huge forest surrounding the Black estate. Shortly after their arrival the wizard owner of the land had found them and after hearing their story had allowed them to stay. The settlement was at a fair distance from the estate itself, but a few times each year Geert or his brother would do the round of the forest to make sure there were no problems. In all these years this was the first time they'd encountered anyone. After hearing this Harry was quick to reassure the giant that as far as he was concerned the giants had nothing to fear and were welcome to stay put.

Geert the giant then indicated he needed to return home, as it would take quite a while with the little girl in tow. He left, his daughter happily clutching her two new dolls in her arms, while issuing an invitation to Miss Freija and friends to visit the settlement anytime they wanted.

Lily came to take Remus up to Hogwarts so Madame Pomfrey could take a proper look at him and Harry suggested aborting the rest of the trip. With the adrenaline rush after the panic now well and truly gone everyone was quick to agree and Harry managed to transport everybody back to the hall in the manor in mere seconds. For most of the party happiness to be back already far outweighed the surprise to find themselves inside but the two teachers from Hogwarts were very impressed. The manor had adjusted itself to accommodate the large presence of Hagrid so they had no problem moving into the kitchen where Dobby was quick to supply them with pots of tea.

The situation was a little awkward at first, Miss Freija was after all a stranger, but Harry thanked her for her help and Hagrid formally introduced them to her so the mood was changing to positive fast.

They were quick to find that the new Ancient Runes teacher was as cheerful as Tonks. She had been born in England from a Norwegian father and a mother from Norwegian descent but had been home schooled both by a tutor and her paternal grandmother and mother. After taking her NEWTs she'd gone to live with her family in Norway for two years and had then taken up private tutoring while going for the Mastery in Ancient Runes. She was now looking forward to explore Hogwarts and what would be her first full time position as a teacher.

With the return of a completely fit Remus and a laden down Mrs Weasley and house elves they too were introduced to the new teacher and only now did Harry learn the full name of Miss Freija Vitkarsdottir.

Having finished with his meeting with the Board of Governors Professor Dumbledore came around to find out the outcome of the situation and was brought up to date with the happenings of the day and they all got a good look at the map of the Black estate grounds.

Late that evening when Harry was all set to go to bed he remembered the one of 150 bottles of dandelion juice that Professor Dumbledore had brought. With Harry and his friends moving to Hogwarts in two weeks, he'd left the other bottles there in the mistaken belief the students themselves would need the juice.

Harry was going to see in the Black library if there was anything that house elves would consider a real treat by way of a thank you for their help. He was just about to enter the library when he heard voices. He stopped to identify the speakers and was surprised to find Professor Dumbledore still around at this late hour.

"… There's no one else but you, Remus, they won't listen to a non-werewolf."

"It will have to wait until September then, Professor. But how will we convince them not to take Voldemort's side ? The minister and his cronies have made life even harder than before and are pushing some of them straight into Voldemort's clutches."

Harry decided to join the discussion. "Remus, Professor, I came down to look up a few things and couldn't help but hear your conversation. Would a privately run project to provide housing, jobs and an excellent free potion be able to convince them ?"

The two men looked up in surprise and Dumbledore replied almost automatically.

"It would be of great help, especially if there are no strings attached to the free potion."

"The only one I can think of would be more of a request to make sure that all known werewolves hear of it and can be helped." replied a solemn looking Harry and he continued to explain the whole plan, how what Sirius had mentioned in his will gave Harry the idea and how, with the invaluable aid of the four other werewolves, Paul Watkins and Griphook, Schmegg and Gringotts they'd progressed that small idea into a big long-term project and the possible start of a whole community.

The two were flabbergasted at the scope of the project as Harry continued to outline the not too distant future of the plans.

"The plan was to start small and expand as per ability but we may make the big announcement sooner rather than later and proceed with the publication as soon as a few key people have been brought in. This month's full moon is too early to have things set up but by next month all should be in place to provide a hundred or maybe even more people of the potion."

Early on Thursday morning as Harry got ready for the day he was still chuckling as he thought of the stunned face of his esteemed Headmaster. After hearing about the project with all its different stages and Harry answering several of their questions, Remus had agreed to go talk to some of the leaders of the werewolf communities already, hopefully accompanied by Elijah or one of the Waverley brothers and offering to share this month's batch of potion with those willing to try it out and if feasible to take them to visit the village-without-name that would house the whole community.

The next week passed in a pretty routine way with a few highlights in between.

It all started on Friday morning when much to everyone's surprise Ron received another letter from Hogwarts. And they didn't have long to wait to hear what it was all about.

"Homework, she's giving us bloody homework to do. Who does she think she is !" came from the disgruntled Ron.

He'd thrown the letter to the table in disgust and Fred, sitting right next to him, saw no reason not to share the contents of his brother's letter with the rest of them.

Dear Mr Weasley,

Welcome to your Sixth Year at Hogwarts and the NEWT level class of "Wizarding Sports : Law and Order".

While active in sports myself my main interest in sports law was the way the referee interpreted those laws and influenced the outcome of the game in progress. However, when my own active years were over I got hooked on the subject that is Wizarding Sports : Law and Order. The way that the clear-cut texts of the Laws and Regulations regarding any Magical Sports can be applied so variedly in the field is what makes this subject so fascinating to me.

In order for me to prepare these courses so as to best suit your interests I would like to assign you two pre-school tasks. Please write in a minimum of ten inches about yourself and your reason for attending this class and send it to me by next Friday 30 August at noon. Furthermore I would like to request that you read chapters one through five in both course books, "Complete Guide to Magical Sports" and "Rules and Regulations in Wizarding Sports", by the time of our first class.

I look forward to receiving your assignment.

Professor Battersby Hartridge

Luna's comment that it could be worse, as in writing several feet worth, got the twins talking of the kind of papers they would be required to write in the next two years, making this one look like a shopping list. Although still grumbling about it by the time breakfast was finished Harry did see Ron scribbling away before morning class was on.

Also on Friday was the start of Remus' second round of the LeBon potion. Joining him for the new potion was an eager Paul Watkins. On Saturday during potions lessons they experienced the difference that working in advance made to their comprehension levels. With the text in their course book yielding a few aspects Harry hadn't heard of before he had looked up the ingredients and new preparation method in advance so Elijah's further explanation made perfect sense and prompted a few questions from Harry that he'd otherwise never have been able to come up with. All in all, Harry felt that this way of studying would suit him much better.

As Sunday was the start of the last week of the summer holiday lunch was a lively affair as the Waverley brothers, Elijah, the whole Weasley clan, Mrs Longbottom, Mr Lovegood and Hermione's parents were present for a last joint meal at Black Manor. Early afternoon as they were still enjoying the last scoops of ice cream dessert an unknown owl brought with it an invitation for Monday tea for Mrs Weasley, Ginny, Luna and Hermione along with Crookshanks to visit Mrs Figg at her new home so Ginny could choose her own kitten. They returned with several new pictures of the whole litter and several too of the beautiful silver grey spotted kneazle kitten that had been named Misty and would arrive in Hogwarts at the end of September.

Another remarkable moment had occurred on Tuesday afternoon when a beautiful male eagle owl had shown up with a special delivery from Florean Fortescue. The library had yielded the personal diary of Mr Black's mother during Harry's search for a special treat for the Hogwarts elves. Noted down in it was a recipe for cucumber ice cream that was supposed to be a delicacy for the elves, but since they were highly allergic to the raw vegetable they were unable to make it themselves. Harry had sent the info and recipe off with the request to make a test batch.

Mr Fortescue's response was to send two large tubs of the finished product accompanied by a letter explaining the curious result he'd had when he explained to his house elves exactly why he wanted to do their job in preparing this particular ice cream. They ended up crying and smiling all at the same time for several hours and Mr Fortescue had generously made a double batch so they too could eat some.

Apparently, so Mr Fortescue had been able to gather, the house elves were under the impression the recipe had been lost several centuries ago. Certain that the Hogwarts elves would be as delighted with this treat he'd gone ahead and production was already in full swing. The four Black Manor elves reacted very much like Mr Fortescue's and Mrs Weasley had had to take over cooking dinner from the near hysterical elves. With delivery of the ice cream for the Hogwarts elves scheduled for Friday Harry decided to warn Professor Dumbledore of the upcoming chaos in the Hogwarts kitchen.

Morning classes continued only until Wednesday as Remus would be off most of the days before the full moon. He had more success than expected when contacting the werewolves as Harry's earlier defense of his werewolf guardian paved the way in showing them the offer was to be trusted. On Thursday morning Remus returned from the full moon night in a happy mood and brought a whole series of pictures of the Village-without-Name where he first explored the area and had later stayed overnight in makeshift accommodation, along with the first time recipients of the LeBon potion.

They spent most of Thursday morning outside and Harry was able to say goodbye to several inhabitants of the Black Manor woods. After lunch it was time to pack their trunks ready for Hogwarts. They would be moving to Grimmauld Place after tea for the remaining two days to allow Harry's many scheduled meetings and visits.

Saying goodbye to both Mr and Uncle Black was harder than Harry had expected even with the near certainty that he would be able to sneak in visits once his trunk-portal was set up. For the first time since entering the wizarding world going to Hogwarts didn't quite stir the same feelings as before.

Once arrived at Grimmauld Place though Harry wasn't given any time to mope as a whole lot of visitors came calling. The eldest Weasley sons joined them for the remainder of the weekend, along with Hermione's parents, Neville's grandmother, Luna's father as well as Tonks and her parents.

And as if that wasn't enough of a crowd a whole slew of Order members, young and old, dropped in and stayed to chat. All in all it was a wonderful yet hectic and busy evening.

Very early Friday morning saw Harry appear in Diagon Alley, ready for the first of the tasks on his to do list.

He would be spending quite some time this morning in either of his two family vaults. Alone for the moment he'd arranged for another visit to the Potter vault so he could have a look around. He was especially keen to look for small ornaments he could display in his trunk-study, and wanted to have a good look also at all the books. Some titles had seemed especially interesting. And last but not least he also hoped to find the small Padfoot necklace that Sirius had gifted him when a baby. When at a quarter past nine a goblin came to escort him to the Black vault he'd still been browsing through the library but he'd found everything he'd been looking for.

At nine thirty Tonks and her parents came down to the Black vault where Harry had still been standing, staring around in wonder. The messy vault he'd visited not two months ago had been thoroughly cleaned and reorganised and it now looked very much like the Potter vault. Shortly after the Tonks family arrived so did Bill Weasley in his capacity as curse breaker for Gringotts. Taking advantage of Harry's presence in the vault he would be looking at all things dangerous and cursed to see what could and needed to be done with them.

Andy, Ted and Tonks had spent an hour browsing and choosing to their heart's content with Andy even able to locate the painting of her father's maternal grandmother wearing exactly the set of jewels that Alphard had wanted her to have. More visitors to the Black vault turned up at ten thirty as Harry also invited Ginny, Hermione and Luna accompanied by Remus so they too could have a look at the many pieces of jewellery in the vault. An awful lot of the newer pieces were close to being gaudy and too ornate but among the older pieces were some fine and simple necklaces to be found that pleased the three young friends to no end. Along with Andy's help they all also choose pieces for Mmes Weasley, Longbottom and Granger. Remus and Bill helped Harry in choosing sets of tiepins, cuff links and watches for Ron and Neville as Professor Dumbledore had hinted at another Yule Ball.

It was so close to midday before they finally emerged from Gringotts into a very crowded Diagon Alley that they decided to have lunch before tackling the shopping. Remus popped to Grimmauld Place to pick up the others. Tom offered them a private room for their lunch but since it was still early enough there wasn't too big a crowd in the pub and they opted instead for the out-of-the-way table in one corner. They enjoyed the superb meal and while they had a limited shopping list mainly consisting of potion ingredients and stationary they didn't spend too much time over their meal.

By the time they were ready to hit the shops Harry had been brought up-to-date on the latest Hogwarts letter that had arrived for Ron that morning. Not homework this time but a letter from Professor McGonagall who was pleased to be able to tell her Quidditch captain that a former Gryffindor student had provided a Quidditch fund for his old House team. The whole team, including a reserve team, was to be equipped with brand new brooms and basic equipment.

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Author's Note :

For those who don't know Dutch or Norwegian this won't make much difference, but for the others I just wanted to point out that I do know about the glaring "mistake" regarding the language. Although I claim the language used is Norwegian, it is in reality Dutch. I needed a mountainous area to 'hide' the existence of the giants, which is highly unlikely in the flat country that is Holland or Flanders where I live. But I also wanted the freedom to understand what I write, something an online translator won't provide. You should try translating a sentence in one program and convert that sentence back to your original language in another and you'll understand what I mean. In the end it does not matter overly much as the amount of Dutch/pseudo Norwegian used is very limited but in the original version there was a lot more conversation going on in Dutch/Norwegian.

Thanks for your continued reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate.

Have you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s) ? You might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along and offers a little extra info and pictures on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	31. Chapter 30

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

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**30 The Last Days of Summer**

By the time two o'clock came around they still hadn't finished with their shopping because they kept bumping into other Hogwarts students, most of whom wanted to say a little more than a mere hello. Ron had to go off to meet Professor McGonagall at Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry on the other hand had a meeting with Paul Watkins to take care of some more paperwork and to prepare for the Wolf Liar meeting with all parties involved scheduled for the next day.

Harry made it to the entry of Paul Watkins' office with some difficulty as several strangers as well as more Hogwarts students approached him keen to be saying their hellos and thanks. Once inside the building however Harry was faced with another problem. Which door was the right one ? He made his way further into the hallway walking past several doors he recognised from passing them the previous time. He was happy to spot the simple pale door and was about to knock when he noticed a second similar door just up ahead. Unaccompanied as he was Harry preferred to be safe rather than sorry and sent off a patronus messenger. When Mrs Figg opened the door further down the corridor he breathed a sigh of silent relief and was surprised to hear her say "Oh, is it pretending again ?"

Looking back at the door he now saw that where it was pale just moments ago it was now a shabby looking dark painted door. Mrs Figg explained the guy behind that door was not very honest in his work and would lure unsuspecting people inside his office. As the door didn't transform when aurors were around nobody could quite prove they hadn't wandered in there willingly.

With Paul sitting at his desk, obviously occupied writing a letter Mrs Figg showed Harry to the couches. After a few minutes more of social chitchat and serving him a very tasty but unusual tea Paul handed her a letter and she was off to post it leaving Paul now free to join Harry for tea.

"Sorry about that, I wanted to make sure there was nothing urgent left on my desk."

"Nothing to it. It's always best to be able to finish something you've started, especially if it's close to the finishing point."

"So how are you doing ? Looking forward to returning to Hogwarts ?"

"I'm fine, thanks. It's actually the first time I've mixed feelings about returning. Hogwarts has always been my home of sorts, but this summer was super and the Manor felt like home too. I think I'll be OK once I'm back though. I'm actually looking forward to all the reading !" said Harry, finishing with a little smile at the thought.

They talked a little more about the subjects he had signed up for and Paul asked after Harry's future plans.

"Originally I wanted to be an auror, but now I have my doubts. I mean I've no real idea what jobs most wizards and witches have available to them. Anyway I figured I still have two years to think it over. My chosen subjects leave me with plenty of options anyway."

Mrs Figg had returned and took up her place behind her desk as Paul started to give Harry an update on all the different cases going on. The first case against Fudge was well under way : with the aid from Gringotts he'd already been able to nearly complete the required paperwork. All he needed now was the right timing to present the case. His friend Robert was doing a bit of an investigation into Fudge's financial dealings and had unearthed quite a few shady tricks they wanted to flesh out.

"Remus also forwarded some notes from a diary held by Orion Black, Sirius' dad. You know of those ?"

"Only a little. We found them among his personal belongings and from a few quick glimpses were able to make out he was suspicious about Mrs Malfoy. Did you find anything more ?"

"Oh, yes, quite a lot actually. I have forwarded a copy of these diary entries to Madame Bones. Sadly, although she thinks he was right to be cautious, this late after the facts it would be no use to pursue the case. However, she said to include them in the case regarding Fudge as that would paint a completely different picture of the situation."

Death eaters captured at the Ministry in June would be starting their trials in the third week of September, with the full case against Peter Pettigrew scheduled right at the start.

Harry asked after the case against Umbridge and Paul looked up in surprise.

"I've heard it isn't going too good. Most of the students only had one or two detentions with her and even though the quill scars, it takes several more sessions for there to be real permanent damage and thus evidence. At this point it's their word against hers. Why the interest ?"

"Will this help in any way ?" asked Harry with some regret in his voice as he bared his arm and showed Paul the "I will not tell lies" on it.

"Sweet Merlin, Harry ! That must have taken a dozen detentions for it to be this bad."

"Yeah, something like that. Can I still file the complaint, or who should do it for me ? If it's Professor Dumbledore wouldn't that cause him problems ?"

"Hmm, let me think. I could suggest to Madame Bones to go ahead with the case, and then appeal all victims to give their story in evidence. It might bring even more cases to light at the same time. Since some of the students already involved are still minors their evidence will be anonymous. With Hogwarts soon in session again an auror would be by to take pictures of your arm and to ask you some questions but that would be all. Would you be willing to do that ?"

"Oh yes, that would be fine."

"Good, I'll arrange this so be on the lookout in the next few days or weeks for an article in the paper."

Next they discussed the meeting taking place in Gringotts the next day. Paul was enthusiastic about the whole deal. Like Remus he'd found the new potion to be a godsend and from the reactions from the other werewolves he knew the scheme was going to be really successful. Tomorrow's meeting would be mainly to bring Harry fully up to date on the current situation and have him meet the people who'd been hired already.

There was the youngish but retired auror who would remain on site to oversee the progress and serve as a liaison between the work force and Paul Watkins. The man had lost his left arm while on holidays to celebrate his fortieth birthday and thus unable to continue his job as auror. The two others Harry was to meet were both werewolves. One would assist Elijah with the potion making and the other would be helping David and Joe Waverly with the set up and maintenance of the gardens and hot houses.

Just as Harry figured the meeting was nearly over Paul came up with one more subject.

"Harry, another thing I meant to ask about is your mail. What do you do to handle it at the moment ?"

"Handle it ?" replied a slightly surprised Harry, "What do I need to handle ? I don't get that much mail. It's only when an article is published that I get some extra letters.

"And how many is "some extra" ?"

"Oh, maybe twenty over the course of a day or two-three, a bit more if there's an article in the paper two days in a row, but never more than a hundred. It's funny. These letters are from people I don't know and are not always nice to read but I still get as excited to get mail as the day I received my very first letter, the one from Hogwarts."

"You didn't get any letters when you were little ?"

"No, but my first ever letter sure made up for that ! When uncle Vernon didn't allow me to read it, the next day two appeared, and then four and always more. The day before Hagrid finally hand delivered it some hundred letters must have arrived for me."

Paul looked startled and then, as if they'd just tapped into each other's brain Mrs Figg and Paul looked at each other and both nodded – "A mail diversion !"

Harry looked on surprise clear on his face. "Mail diversion ? Why do I get a bad feeling about this ?" he muttered half loud to himself. Paul chuckled at the words.

"You know how the mail system works, don't you ? All you need to add is the name of the addressee and the owls will find that person wherever he or she is. But there are a series of people, like medi-wizards or the Hogwarts teachers or myself, who under certain circumstances cannot be disturbed by an owl delivering a letter, so a special department in the Ministry sets up custom made charms.

While I'm in a hearing or with a client like now any letter addressed to me will be redirected to the office. A letter arriving at this very moment would go to Mrs Figg even though I'm sitting in the same room. You can set up these charms any way you want and pre-sort your mail that way. My best guess Harry, is that all mail however it was addressed for you would have been diverted to a holding room the moment you went to live with your muggle family. But when you neared the age of eleven and your Hogwarts letter needed delivering they lifted the diversion on your official name. All your friends along with the occasional witch or wizard would simply use Harry Potter as the addressee and the letters arrived, whereas fan mail letters addressed to "the Boy-Who-Lived" still get diverted."

"I see, so what do I do about that ? Do I say "I want to receive all my mail" or …"

Harry didn't continue as letters suddenly started raining down on him at an alarming rate. It took no time to be nearly knee deep in letters and still they came pelting down. The office they were in seemed to both magically expand and shrink all at the same time as the letters and packages just kept coming. When the downpour of mail finally petered out to nothing Harry and Paul, who'd both gotten to their feet pretty quickly after the start, were stuck in the letters high up to their chests. Mrs Figg had remained seated and would be buried alive if it weren't for the seemingly invisible barrier around her from the desk up and from where she sat all she could see was a wall of letters surrounding her.

The flabbergasted expression on Paul's face – and Harry was pretty certain it would be just as visible on his own face – made Harry say a rather exaggerated "Oops".

"Oops indeed ! Now how do we get out of this ? Can anyone move at all ?"

"If you don't mind, I won't even try." laughed a slightly worried Mrs Figg.

"I know !" said Harry and called for Dobby.

Dobby gave a squeak in surprise as he popped into existence on top of a mountain of mail.

"Dobby, can you help us please ? All this mail needs to be removed and stored somewhere so I can look through it all."

But before Dobby could do anything, Paul surprisingly said "Please, wait, not yet ! Harry do you trust me ?"

Harry was puzzled by the question but nodded anyway and the man asked Dobby for a quill and some parchment, scribbled down a few lines and asked Dobby to deliver it to his friend Robert Porter.

"I'm sorry for getting Robert involved and have your life spread out in the papers once again, but I just remembered reading a small article ages ago, most likely in an attempt to discredit you, about how you never answer your mail or even acknowledge receiving the mail and gifts people send you. Most of the W.C.'s have an answering service and it's only a few W.C.'s, Gilderoy Lockhart comes to mind, who reply in person."

Harry snickered as he had first hand experience with Lockhart's fan mail but asked about the W.C.'s anyway.

"Oh, it stands for Wizarding Celebs. I've been hanging out with Robert too much, I guess."

Before they could continue the conversation Dobby returned with a note from that man.

"You wouldn't know a photographer, would you ?" asked Paul as he finished reading, "Robert is on his way but his normal photographer is off today."

"Colin Creevey was in the alley just before I came here, maybe he's still around." said Harry and asked for and received a parchment and quill from Dobby who moments later was off with Harry's request.

The three stuck inside the body of mail didn't have long to wait as soon after sending off Dobby to Colin, the outside door opened and there were the faces of Colin and Dennis Creevey, Dobby and a man Harry had never seen before.

"Sweet Merlin, Paul, I thought you would be exaggerating, but it's even worse than you said. No one is going to believe this without the pictures, you know." Said the unknown man with a clear smile in his voice.

"Not a problem, Mr Porter." quipped Harry, "meet your future star photographer Colin Creevey. Colin, meet Mr Porter, who is a reporter for the paper and could use the photo's you make today."

Harry explained the situation to the Creevey brothers with Colin taking picture after picture of the mountain of letters that had spilled from the room into the hallway, the sheer size of the office and how high the mountain of letters was. Even when Harry asked Dobby to pack away the letters, Colin still continued taking pictures of the whirlwind of letters and packages that disappeared into filing cabinet after filing cabinet. And it wasn't until all the letters had gone from the room now filled instead with what looked to be a gazillion filing cabinets, and Dobby had shrunk those filing cabinets away until only a shoebox sized cabinet was left that Colin finally stopped.

The conversation that followed next between Colin and the reporter went largely over Harry's head as they were talking technical points for the development of the photographs. Mrs Figg told the two of them about the developing studio housed in the building and after agreeing to return within the next fifteen minutes the four of them left to look the pictures over.

Harry and Paul took the opportunity to go over Harry's options regarding his mail. First off Paul used the floo system to check with the Ministry department that dealt with the mail diversions to make sure no other diversions were left in place. Harry sat and marvelled in the mean time about the wonders of magic. Here he was in a big room with a fireplace to the left of the door that lead into the hallway where from the hall side only an inch from that same door was another door – on either side !

The conversation over, Paul fully returned in the room, clutching a big pile of parchments and retook his seat across from Harry. As he put the stack on the low table between them Paul explained that all diversions were now gone and that the parchments were the forms required to set up new ones. Harry learned that charms could be set up to monitor all his mail the moment a letter addressed to him left the sender. Paul told him of the albeit not too common practice when dealing with legal matters to have automatic copies of letters created so both the original addressee and his legal representative received a copy at the same time. The copy was very recognisable by the special blue coloured parchment it was created on.

Reading through all the various options available to him Harry discovered it wouldn't take much to sort out his mail from now on. But he would still be left with the problem of the fan mail both old and new.

"Paul, do you think I need a secretary ?"

"Not really, Harry, no. But someone to do your paperwork, like an administrative assistant would be better."

"Heh, that's what I meant !"

"Sorry Harry, sometimes I forget you're only sixteen. A secretary wouldn't be much help to you as she would only take away part of the job. You'd still need to read the letters and draft the reply before a secretary would than write the letter. An administrative assistant on the other hand will be able to handle the entire process on her own once she's had even only vague orders about what to do. And I know just the person who could help out. Just a moment, Harry."

He went to the floo and called out "Thornby residence, Charlotte, are you free ?".

Harry didn't hear the reply but wondered at how his life had even more spiralled out of his control.

Paul finished his floo call and turned back to Harry with an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry to just jump to conclusions like that, but I've been trying to help her out without any luck on my part. She keeps calling it charity. And this is a real life genuine offer. Charlotte was married to my best friend from school. He went to join the aurors but when they had their first child he quit the force because it was too dangerous. Ironically he was killed in a muggle car accident three months after their third child was born. Charlotte is now struggling to cope with three children under five and unable to leave the house to get a job. But, ehm, … "

"But this is a job she could do from home, so that she can now earn an honest living, making the both of you happy !." nodded Harry in an understanding way. How often had he tried to help Ron but been told he didn't want the money !

"Exactly, Harry. Now let me send a message to Mrs Figg and we'll be on our way."

Harry followed Paul's example and took some floo powder. When he stumbled out of the fireplace at the other end he landed in what must have been the smallest room he'd ever been in, other than his cupboard under the stairs. There was little furniture in the room : a coat hanger, a shoe rack and a chest of drawers. Any more would have nearly filled the space leaving little room for manoeuvring.

Paul, familiar as he was with the place, walked on into the hall, again not very big. Across from the hall Harry spotted an equally small room, the very colourful mat on the floor giving away it was a playroom. To the right was obviously the front door and to the left, after only a few steps Harry and Paul walked into the kitchen cum dining cum living room, the size of which was not much better than the two previous rooms Harry had seen. Albeit tiny, the house exuded the warmth and love that reigned in this family. But he did get an awfully familiar feeling of seeing double. Where the house looked neat and tidy on the one hand it also reeked of rot and decay and Harry saw flashes of mould on the walls. Surely these weren't very healthy conditions for kids to grow up in !

Charlotte Thornby turned out to be an attractive woman in her late twenties with long brown-reddish hair tied back in a ponytail. Although smiling Harry saw beneath the mask a woman struggling to stay afloat and he couldn't fault Paul's wish to help her. The three children playing in one corner of the sitting room ranged from about a year old at Harry's guess to a five-year-old boy who came running to his uncle Paul as soon as he spotted the visitors. His youngest sibling also made a beeline for Paul, but the middle child, a girl with the same brown-reddish hair as her mum stood next to Harry, put up her arms and demanded "Up, peeze" and Harry, totally automatically, did just that. Amazingly the little girl dashed a quick kiss on Harry's cheek, said something like hello and proceeded to lay her head on his shoulder.

Both Paul and Mrs Thornby were amazed at the quick demonstration of trust from her daughter and she was quick to voice it.

"Well of course she trusts him," quipped Paul, "he's Harry Potter after all !

Charlotte, please meet my newest client, Harry Potter. And Harry, please allow me to introduce Charlotte Thornby, the mother of my god child and wife of my late best friend."

They exchanged pleasantries and shook hands, albeit clumsily on Harry's part as he still held the little girl in his arms and Paul continued the talk.

"Harry is looking for someone to help him with his letters and I suggested you could do that."

"Oh Paul, not again, I told you I can't. I don't need charity."

Paul wanted to object but Harry was quick to pick up unspoken and maybe even unconscious signals coming from the woman.

"Mrs Thornby, I'll presume you know who I am ?" asked Harry with a quiet voice. She nodded and he continued.

"Not half an hour ago I discovered that all mail that has been sent to the-boy-who-lived since Halloween 1981 was stored in some holding room waiting for me to ask for it. You know Paul's office ? Now imagine that room tripled in size and filled to about chest height with letters and parcels and you'll know just how much mail that was. You can watch out for pictorial evidence in the papers tomorrow as Paul's other friend Robert was there to witness our predicament. So I do need help. I'm about to start my NEWT years at Hogwarts and have been told that's a lot of work in its own right. But I do agree with you that you can't."

Harry saw Paul's sudden shock at Harry's words and despite turning it down earlier Mrs Thornby's shoulders sagged a little.

"There is just too much to do and with looking after these three lovely kids you'd be forced to do it in the evenings when you really need to relax and rest."

"Oh, but I can work real fast, and after getting used to the routine I'd be able to get a lot done, I'm sure."

"I don't know. Do you know of anyone who could either be your secretary part time or be able to look after the children a few hours a day ? I mean, the idea would be to also direct all the new mail your way and I have no idea just how many letters that may be."

"My sister-in-law Karen, my late husband's young sister is a secretary. She currently works for a muggle company but is looking to change. Maybe she'd be interested."

"Well, then I suggest you talk it through with her to see if she's interested. I'd like to sort this quickly especially with the article appearing tomorrow so if you could let me know tomorrow about your decision. I've no idea about wages, you'll need to take that up with Griphook at Gringotts who deals with anything financial for me but the job does come with a house to live in so the place can accommodate all the filing and paper involved."

Paul, having his equilibrium restored with each passing minute, suggested that they leave Mrs Thornby to think it through and return to the office for that talk with Robert Porter. But instead of returning to Paul's office immediately Harry suggested a quick stop at Gringotts where he informed Griphook of the job offer for Mrs Thornby and her sister-in-law and what Harry had in mind for them. Fortunately Griphook was able to allay Harry's fears that the house Mrs Thornby lived in was one of his. Another bit of good news was the availability of a five-bedroom house located in the countryside, near a pond and a small friendly muggle village. The muggle neighbours were all at a fairly small distance but the two homes closest by housed wizarding families and friends of Harry.

"Near Ottery St. Catchpole ?"

"That's right, Harry." confirmed Griphook.

"That would be brilliant. Also she doesn't seem to have too much furniture going on at the moment so could you provide her with a sum of money so she can decently fit it out ? And invite her to the meeting tomorrow if she accepts the offer before then, please."

That issue satisfactorily dealt with Paul and Harry made their way back to the office. Harry asked Paul about the Thornby home and was shocked to discover neither Paul nor Mrs Thornby had any idea of the bad state of the house. When Paul immediately wanted to return to the Thornby residence Harry just barely managed to stop the man from charging off with the comment that she'd be moving out in just a few days. With the spells most likely holding up the whole house it would be best to hold of just that bit longer.

Once back at Paul's office they found Mrs Figg had returned but there was no sign of either Robert Porter or the Creevey brothers. By the time Mrs Figg had explained the men were waiting for the final set of prints the three came waltzing in and Colin handed a complete set of pictures to Harry. Before Harry could ask after the cost of the set Colin regaled him with the for Colin astonishing news that Mr Porter would be paying him handsomely for the pictures. Eager to share their latest adventure the two brothers were soon off leaving Harry to answer a few of Robert's questions and finally make his way back to Grimmauld Place, pictures in hand.

He was last to arrive back at Grimmauld Place and by the time he'd listened to all their adventures and updated them on his findings and the article that would appear the next day he was parched. The others were in near stitches at the sight of the flabbergasted look on both his and Paul's face, being stuck in the mail.

"So what are you going to do about all those letters ?" asked a practical Remus.

"If all goes well I'll have an administrative assistant to take care of them by tomorrow." laughed Harry and continued on with the story of Paul's involvement in him finding someone so easily.

The rest of the evening passed similarly to yesterday. There were many guests staying and an additional amount of Order members to drop by for a chat. But Mr Granger and Mr Tonks had organised another barbeque and they all spent most of the evening enjoying the food, company and fine weather in the back garden.

Breakfast the next morning was a very low-key affaire. Remus was the only adult present and that was mainly because he would accompany Harry later on. On the other hand only Ron was missing to complete the youngsters' group but then again Ron had said he'd spend as much time in bed today as he possibly could stand as it was the last day of the summer !

They had just started on their meal when Dobby brought several copies of the paper. Harry had made the headlines again.

Surprise ! You've got mail.

By R.E. Porter

Just like me the average witch or wizard will simply write a letter, put on the addressee and the owl will do the rest. We never question just how it all works. Up until earlier today, neither did Harry Potter.

But the-boy-who-lived got quite a surprise while talking to his legal representative, Mr Paul Watkins. Unbeknown to either men mail diversions had been set up when Mr Potter was taken in by his muggle relatives way back when. Fifteen years worth of correspondence for the young wizard came crashing down totally unexpected. From the pictures below you can see that's quite a delivery.

By the time I spoke to the young man himself he was still in a slight state of shock.

"I knew that I was special to people, I mean the moment I entered the Leaky Cauldron for the first time five years ago people seemed very happy to see me and wherever I went people just knew my name. But I never expected anything like this. I would like to thank everyone for thinking about me and caring enough to send me a letter. I just hope that people will understand that for the moment I really don't know what will happen next. I've asked someone to sort them for me and when that's done I'll see what to do then."

Mr Watkins in the mean time wanted to stress that although the mail diversions have been re-instated all new mail will be looked at immediately from now on.

The article itself was not bad and not too long but Harry just wasn't sure about the pictures. The Hogwarts students surely would see this as an ideal teasing opportunity !

The first one showed just the open office door with a view of the slope of letters that had spilled into the hall, the second one was the overall view with Paul and Harry up to their chest in a sea of letters and next was an 'after' picture to show just how large the office had gotten.

Just before nine Harry and Remus were off to meet with Paul Enseel at his studio to have a look at the progress he'd made on the different paintings Harry had commissioned. Visiting an artist's studio was quite an experience. They were shown in by a house elf who took them up to the top floor of the house. Expanded like only a wizarding loft could be the room at the top was a light and bright place with several easels holding canvasses in varying states of progress. But much to Harry's joy he found that Paul had worked wonders and had actually finished three of the seven landscape paintings.

"I must admit I don't quite understand how I did it either. It just seemed to go so smoothly, each brushstroke just right. And though I've been working almost as many hours in the past ten days than I normally do in a month I feel great and ready to start the next one !"

Harry also spotted a very quick sketch of the other painting, the Potter heir portrait and at first glance liked the way Paul had managed to combine all the different aspects Harry had suggested. In the middle of the painting was a window with the view from Harry's master bedroom at Black Manor. On either side of the window were the two paintings, now hanging in his trunk study. The only thing that didn't feel right were both his and Remus' position on the painting just standing there, both partially blocking the view outside.

Paul Enseel who had seen Harry's appraisal of the sketch asked him what he thought about it.

"I cannot say exactly what it is, but Remus and I look all wrong in there. The pose would work if it were either just he or I there. It looks like something is missing. Does that make sense to you ?"

"Well spotted, Mr Potter. Composition wise there is no connection between you two and the usual pose to have one of you sitting down doesn't really help. The symbolism in the two other paintings is so obvious that the lack in this one is all the greater."

"What do you mean by symbolism, sir ?"

The man picked up a folder and produced near-life sized prints of the two older paintings and held them open for better viewing.

"Well, in case of your parents' portrait you and your mum are seated meaning you need protecting and the two men stand guard. Just to make things clear, your father's hand rests on the back of the chair, while Sirius isn't touching it, telling the viewer which of the two men goes with the mother and baby to form a family.

If you then look at your grandparents' portrait, your gran is seated, as most women will be. Now a more normal pose for this kind would be to have both parents seated with their kids standing on either side. But this pose with your grandfather on one side and your dad on the other side of the chair, both touching the chair and Sirius, with both hands on the chair in between the two men clearly states that as far as these people are concerned, Sirius is a son in all but name. It's very a very powerful statement."

Remus tried to have himself cut from the painting as the best and easiest solution but Harry was taking it all in and kept glancing from the prints to the sketch and suddenly understood about the connection that Remus and he needed and immediately the solution came to him. He pulled his trunket out of his pocket and enlarged it to the full sized Potter trunk.

"Sir, you said Remus and I need a connection and I believe this trunk would suit perfectly. My grandfather commissioned its creation for my father but both passed away before it made it into the family. Remus found it for me for my sixteenth birthday".

Paul Enseel's face lit up as he processed both the words and the image of the trunk and within moments he'd produced another sketch on the back of the previous one that looked much better and so right !

After that they had a hard time to get the painter's thought back to the mundane eager as that man was to start on his next masterpiece. He made several pictures of the trunk with Harry and Remus in different poses by its side and they paid for the finished paintings and gave another advance for the next few that should come along in the following months if not weeks.

They made it to Gringotts with some time to spare and learned that Mrs Thornby had accepted the job not ten minutes earlier. Unable to arrange for childcare at such short notice but eager to start her job the three kids were present as well in the meeting room that would be used for the first official Wolf Liar project meeting.

Harry and Remus were the first to join Mrs Thornby in the room and Harry did the introductions, once again holding the little girl in his arms. Next to arrive was Paul Watkins who took over doing the introductions which was just as well as the two men to enter next were unknown to Harry. Before introductions could be made however Elijah and the three Waverley brothers arrived, followed by a one armed man.

With the arrival of Griphook and Schmegg all the attendants for the meeting were present and it got started. Paul Watkins, as project manager formally introduced everyone, explained the presence of the three children, and then gave everyone a complete overview of the project, from the germ of an idea to the full-scale undertaking it had become and the long-term result they would be aiming for.

Jared Markham, the ex auror had been approached as first of the team and had thus had the opportunity to have a good look around the Village-without-Name, coming up with quite a few good ideas to get the brewing and distribution of the LeBon potion up and running as soon as possible. With the first small test run an overall success it would be highly likely that for next month's full moon they would see an increase in the amount of people asking for and willing to take the potion.

And that's where Greg Monteith, one of the werewolves came in. He was in his fifties and had considered being a potion master, but getting married to a muggle woman that career option would have been difficult to explain away. His lycanthropy had broken up his marriage and this opportunity would allow him to take up his earlier passion. For now he would work alongside Elijah but long term the idea was that he'd become the head potion brewer. The other werewolf, Adam Parker, had had a job until recently in a muggle garden centre but had been laid off due to his chronic illness. He too would at first be working alongside Joe and David to start on the whole concept of hothouses and garden beds but would be promoted to head of plants in due course.

Paul Watkins was very happy to be able to confirm that due to Harry's attitude toward werewolves they were able to start on the building phase of the project probably a month earlier than expected which would give them an enormous advantage in view of the coming winter months. With so many of the werewolves unable to get decent jobs quite a lot of them were eager to help out and the leaders had promised to contact as many as possible. A small team was scheduled to start on Monday to build the first of the hothouses. Paul gave them a new estimated timetable for the different phases of the project and explained about each in a little more detail.

One of the few problems they had encountered was the travelling to and from the site. Without a floo point in the area it was hard for some to travel and several options were put up. Harry's timid suggestion to provide accommodation through wizarding tents was first met with stunned silence – not counting the happy babbling of baby Oscar – and disbelief they had overlooked the simplest solution. As for the monthly meetings maybe something could be arranged combining the nearest or easiest accessible floo point with the use of muggle means of transportation like a bus.

A few more aspects of the project were discussed, amongst others that Mrs Thornby would be reporting minutes of future meetings to Harry and finally the meeting was over. Griphook suggested that with the young girl dozing on Harry's shoulder Mrs Thornby might like to take her two sons and accompany him and Mr Watkins to have a look at the house that came with the job. Paul immediately agreed, eager as he was to get is friend out of that terrible house.

Harry in the mean while had conversations with the three newcomers to the project. Jared Markham was very pleased with his new appointment. In the two and a half years since his accident he had learned to cope with his disability but the lack of a job had grated his nerves. An added bonus had been the offered accommodation on site. It was a small cottage and could do with some modernising but it was a palace compared to his old place. His wife and two children were chuffed when they'd seen their new home.

When Griphook and his human companions returned from viewing the new home of the Thornby family Harry asked after Mrs Thornby's sister in law and learned she'd eagerly agreed to the change of job. With the house so big there was even a good chance she would take up residence with them, something Charlotte was looking forward to.

While discussing her role as Harry's administrative assistant they had agreed that for the old mail she and Karen would compile a list containing the names of the sender, the reason for sending the letter and if required a short summary of the contents of the letter. Harry had indicated he'd been thinking to send all of the senders a Christmas card this year but had been told the timing might be a bit short for that. Griphook interrupted them at that point and suggested that he could help out by magically sorting the letters, which would save them a lot of time. As for the new letters the diversion would kick in action in five days to allow Charlotte some time to sort out her move. Neither knowing what to expect of these letters Harry suggested she keep tab of them for a month and then meet him on a Saturday at Hogwarts.

All of his business now taken care of Harry told Remus he'd make a quick detour to go to Black Manor and surprise Uncle Black with his new freedom. By lunchtime Harry had returned leaving behind an elated Uncle Black, even more so when he found out that one landscape would be going to his daughter Andy.

The remainder of the last day of summer was spent quietly. There were no order members visiting and the six students spent time with their own family. Harry handed Andy the landscape painting and recognising the view she was thrilled. But she was delighted when she heard she could expect a certain visitor as soon as the painting was up on the wall.

When Harry lay in bed that night looking back on the past two months he could hardly grasp the enormous changes that had taken place and the hundreds of little and sometimes large events that had given shape to his summer holiday. His last coherent thought before sleep took over completely was "What will sixth year be like ?"

- - - - - - - -

Author's Note :

Just finished typing out a manuscript (for a long and boring rant on society) for a friend and found that my inspiration during that job flew right out the window. While waiting for the corrections and changes to be made I should be able to write at least a little, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to post again next week. Keep your fingers crossed !

Thanks for your continued reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate.

Have you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s) ? You might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along and offers a little extra info and pictures on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	32. Chapter 31

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**31 Hogwarts Bound**

From previous experience Harry knew how chaotic September 1 mornings could be in the Weasley household but surprisingly things were going really smoothly this time. Due to their summer habit to get up for classes even the notorious late sleeper Ron was up early leaving them plenty of time for an unhurried breakfast. When they returned to their rooms to do a bit of last minute packing they found the house elves had already taken care of that for them so that by the time the car arrived at 10 they were all set and ready to go.

They said goodbye to the Tonks family in Grimmauld Place as all three had other things to do that morning. Harry invited them for a stay at Black Manor from Boxing Day on and they readily accepted the invitation.

There was a bit of a panic when they realised their transport was a muggle limousine but Mad-Eye who'd arrived to accompany them had arranged the whole deal. The driver cum business owner was in fact a muggle born wizard. He and his muggle born wife had realised they had limited opportunities in the wizarding world but all the more in the muggle world. When dealing with muggles they used very little magic, only a very slight enlarging charm on the boot of the car and a very mild calming charm on the car that gave even the most stressed out person a relaxed feeling. For wizards the already large limousines could be tripled in size and be made to look a lot less noticeable by muggles and wizards alike so as not to draw too much attention.

That last feature was highly in demand as they would have drawn quite a lot of stares once they'd made it to King's Cross Station. Even a limousine did not often hold 19 people, 5 large trunks, 4 pet carriers, a plant carrier and a picnic basket. Nevertheless their party drew quite some attention as they made their way to the entrance of platform 9 ¾. They were not nearly the first ones to get to the train station as quite a few other families with the tell tale wizarding paraphernalia were present in the muggle train station. Seeing so many most likely muggle born students and their families around Harry wondered if there was a problem to get to the platform but Mr Weasley explained that there was normally a welcoming witch or wizard around to guide the muggle born first year students and their family through the barrier. As ministry worker Mr Weasley along with Hermione and Ron took on that role while waiting for the official guide to arrive. Harry and Neville would show the families around on the other side of the barrier. Luna and Ginny in the mean while secured them a compartment for the trip and were guarding their assortment of pets and food.

The first five minutes or so were hectic as there were already quite a few families waiting on the muggle side, but with the arrival of several old hands more help was available to lighten the load of explaining and showing the way. Keeping busy like that was a good way to make saying goodbye just that bit easier. For a short time Harry felt like staying on the platform and allow the train to simply leave without him, but Remus, as if sensing his mood, came to say goodbye and hit just the right tone for Harry's spirit to lift. And so, in a hectic round of hugs, kisses and handshakes the six remaining students got on board of the majestic red steam train that would take them off for another term at Hogwarts.

Hermione and Ron had joined them in the compartment for only a few moments before they were off for the prefect meeting. As Harry had more or less guessed would happen half an hour or so into their journey they started to get visitor after visitor into their compartment. Some stayed only a few minutes while others stayed a little longer bringing them up to date on some of the typical school gossip. Hermione and Ron's return brought the best bit of gossip of the day though : Malfoy was no longer 6th year Slytherin prefect.

Throughout the day the old DA members had visited inquiring after the plans for the DA but all they got was the message to meet the next evening at 8 at the usual place. About a third into their journey Harry had a slight feeling of dread starting to creep up but much to his surprise rather than getting stronger as it had when dementors had attacked Diagon Alley the feeling was suddenly cut off. Halfway through the journey Harry started feeling anticipation but of what he had no idea.

By the time they made it to Hogsmeade station the anticipation that had been growing steadily bigger now made Harry feel anxious to get to Hogwarts so much so that when the six of them entered the thestral drawn carriage Harry urged the horses on for speed. Harry had hardly been seated when the carriage gave a lurch. Luna, Ginny and Harry who'd been sitting next to one another almost fell out of their seats by the force and the surprise squeak from Hermione was as much due to their movement as it was because of the force with which she was pinned to her own seat.

Shouts of surprise could be heard from outside and it wasn't until Ron took a look outside to see what was going on that they realised the thestrals were taking the carriages to the sky. They were flying ! They made the short journey in record time and were deposited softly in front of the stairs up to Hogwarts' main entrance. Despite the even larger pull now coming from the castle Harry made to pet the closest thestral and thanked the creatures for their assistance. Once inside the castle however Harry could feel the joy and relief of the castle and its denizens at their arrival.

Making their way inside the castle and on to the main hall the exited chattering students did not pay overly much attention to the staff table or they would have noticed the bareness of said table and the only occupant, Professor Dumbledore, was looking at them with some surprise. One by one the teachers too arrived and just when Harry started to look out for the new DADA teacher in came Hagrid, looking even wilder than usual with windblown hair and beard.

"Harry, look, is that Tonks at the head table ?"

Harry drew his attention from Hagrid to the other teachers and saw indeed a very toned down Tonks sitting amongst the staff.

"Looks like her, at least."

"You don't think she's the new DADA teacher, do you ?"

"Well, she might well be. After all Professor Dumbledore did mention it would be a female teacher. But that's good, right. After all she's an auror and we already know she's fun and good at teaching. Ha, no wonder Professor Dumbledore mentioned the new teacher would have no problem with the DA."

The doors of the Great Hall opened and in came Professor McGonagall, accompanied by an awful lot of young and slightly dishevelled students.

"Is it me or are those first years getting smaller ? And there are so many !"

"Oh no, " said a hungry looking Ron, "It's going to take ages to get them all sorted."

Ginny started giggling and said "It's the famous Harry-effect."

Harry looked up at her, startled. "What Harry-effect ?"

"Mum told me it took a while for everything to be back to normal after your parents died and you got rid of Voldemort in 1981. There were a few more Death Eater attacks, then there were all the trials and more reported sightings that needed to be investigated, but slowly life started picking up again. It is unusual for there to be this few students around and in the coming years you'll notice that first year classes will be getting even bigger. And I might add you'll find quite a few Harry's, James's and Lily's among them."

Harry stared at her in disbelief but by now the Sorting Hat had been introduced and the first line of his song caught Harry's attention.

"I shall keep it short

With so many to sort

Though I must still obey

The rules of the Four

I've plotted a way

To save the day

Into Houses and Classes

Shall they be divided

To make of the masses

A Hogwarts United !"

"Wow," came Ron's comment, "that was short ! Must be a record for sure."

"But what can he mean by sorting them into houses and classes ?" asked a worried Hermione. "What is he up to ?"

"Relax, Hermione, he's been going on about uniting the houses, maybe he's found a way to do so. We'll soon find out."

The first student, not a Harry, was sorted into Ravenclaw, Class 1. The second student was also sorted into Ravenclaw but put in Class 2. The third student, the first Harry, was actually sorted into Slytherin and Class 2.

At the end of the sorting, which had gone surprisingly fast, the 96 first year students had been sorted into 4 equal size classes of 24 students per class. The classes contained a fair mix of students from all four houses. Slytherin was least represented with 20 new students, Ravenclaw had 22, Hufflepuff had 24 and Gryffindor had a staggering 30 new 'ickle firsties'.

The new class system made sense to Harry. Looking at his fellow 6th years most of them he'd only gotten to know last year with the DA. Before that he might just about know they were in the same grade but would hardly be able to recall their names. Mixing them up from the start like this would probably mean their view on the other houses and students would be broader then when limiting them to just fellow house mates.

With the sorting over Professor Dumbledore quickly announced the start of the Feast as a few tummies had been protesting rather loudly at the long wait.

Dinner was over much faster than usual, with most students too hungry to talk much, and as the tables cleared, once again Professor Dumbledore asked for their attention.

"A warm welcome to all the new students ! It is also good to see the rest of you all back at Hogwarts after a nice long summer vacation and I hope you are ready to start another year at Hogwarts.

There are the usual Start-of-Term notices I would like to remind you of. The Forbidden Forest outside the Hogwarts grounds has that name for a good reason. You see the Forest is forbidden to all students. The caretaker, Mr Filch, has a list available of products that are banned from use anywhere in the castle, and I believe the entire range of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes are included in there. He also wanted me to remind you once again that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

On another note I would like you to welcome Professor Tonks as our new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. She has kindly offered her services while she recuperates from injuries sustained while in her actual job as Auror."

There was a polite applause at the news. Previous experience had taught the students to await their first classes with any new teacher and especially DADA teachers had a bad reputation. Harry and his friends joined in the general applause, not wanting to draw attention to the fact they knew her so well. But Harry managed a quick "thumbs up" sign when Tonks was looking their way.

"Students of Ancient Runes will be sorry to hear that Professor Jane Bingley has gone on early retirement. Circumstances are happy though as she decided to leave to be able to enjoy the presence of the newest member of her family, her lovely granddaughter Jane.

I was however very fortunate to be able to recruit the lovely Professor Vitkarsdottir who will gladly share her vast knowledge of ancient runes with any interested student."

As the young professor stood up to acknowledge the headmaster's words Harry observed more than one male student going starry-eyed at the sight of the pretty woman. If anything, the applause that followed the announcement was just a tad more enthusiastic than it had been for Tonks.

"Quidditch captains will be posting their call for new players and tryout dates on your Common Room Notice Boards, along with all the other Societies and Student Groups active after classes. So make sure you check it out on a regular basis.

Last but by all means not least, all returning students will be interested to hear that all decrees and changes made last year have been revoked and are no longer valid."

The first year students who were close to falling asleep in their seats, had the shock of their lives when nearly the whole student body erupted into a thunderous applause, whistling and yelling their approval of that last announcement. Looking around Harry saw most teachers were wearing big smiles, but Snape along with some of the Slytherin students and Mr Filch were clearly less impressed by the changes.

After the noise had died down some he continued :

"Yes I rather thought you'd like that. Well, it's gotten late so off to bed with you. Have a good sleep so you are all nicely rested for your first classes tomorrow."

With so many first years, Hermione and Ron offered their help to guide them to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry told the others he'd catch up with them and stayed behind to have a word with Tonks. He got a bit worried after hearing about the recuperation she needed. He made his way over to the head table when most students had left the Great Hall. He smiled his hello and was about to ask after her health when he spotted a familiar beetle on Tonks' robes.

"Excuse me, Professor Tonks, but there is a problem with a Padfoot look-alike. Do you mind ?"

Tonks seemed to catch on that Harry had spotted something and nodded her approval. With his Seeker reflexes Harry snatched the beetle off of her robes and hid it under a goblet. Leaning closer to Tonks he whispered "Rita Skeeter in animagus mode" which made Tonks cast a quick spell on the goblet, lifted it and cast a second spell on the beetle.

Professor McGonagall came to inspect what had happened and was quickly filled in on the situation. Professor McGonagall conjured a glass jar much like Hermione's back in fourth year and the beetle was locked in.

"Leave it to me Harry," said Tonks, "the auror department already had its suspicions about her and this is just what we were hoping for. Now was there anything else ?"

"Not really, Tonks, oh sorry, Professor Tonks. I was just wondering about your injuries. I didn't know they were that bad."

"Oh Harry, don't worry so. They are not. But with getting injured last June it was the perfect cover story to get me to come. When Professor Dumbledore told us he wanted to avoid a situation like last year, Kingsley Shacklebolt and I found it a perfect situation to allow me to take on the role. I'll be limping in the beginning to make the cover plausible so don't worry too much OK."

Harry was relieved to find Tonks really was all right and said goodnight to both professors before catching up with the others as they slowly made their way to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Ginny, Neville and Harry sat in the sofa by the fire waiting for Ron and Hermione to join them. Ginny had taken to tease Harry about the ten first years who'd been named Harry and he was secretly happy that Ron and Hermione joined them so soon. Neville asked about Tonks' health too and Harry explained about the cover story and mentioned the discovery of beetle Rita.

After talking a little more of the new DADA teacher surprise Harry decided to go to his dormitory, unpack and go to bed early. Not knowing what tomorrow would bring he wanted to start his first day well rested. Especially knowing he had the DA meeting in the evening.

Upon entering his new dormitory he was quite surprised to find that place much bigger than before. That was needed because apart from the usual furniture there was now also a large desk and bookcase for each occupant. Probably the additions were a result of the self study each student had to undertake the next two years. It was immediately clear also which bed he was to occupy because all his things had been neatly unpacked and put out very much like they'd been at the Manor. The two picture frames holding the images of a young James, Remus, Sirius and Lilly taken upon their graduation and his grandparents took pride of place on his desk. Dobby must have been busy indeed as he noticed Ron's and Neville's places had had the same treatment. Dean and Seamus' things were unpacked too but the tops of the desk just had their assorted items placed in the middle as Dobby obviously didn't know how they liked them set out.

Knowing the house elf would hear it anyway, he said a silent "Thank you Dobby", asked the Black box for a few more of the old letters from Remus to read and installed himself on his bed. The ten letters he held were dated between the first Christmas since his parents' death and his birthday three years later. They were as diverse in writing style as they were in subject. The later ones innocently enough expressed the hope of a few nice presents for Christmas and wishing him a happy fifth birthday. But the early ones were clearly written by a man seriously grieving for what he'd lost. One of the letters Harry was almost certain, had been written when Remus was either drunk or delirious and almost had Harry in tears at the pain contained within the written lines. Harry also learned from them that Remus had tried to visit him at his aunt's but despite Professor Dumbledore's permission his aunt had not allowed him to see young Harry.

By now the four others in his dormitory had arrived and voiced their approval over the new set up of the room and the unpacked state of their trunks. They were all soon sleeping, the fatigue of the day catching up with even these strong young men.

Harry's first reaction at seeing the scarcely lit dungeon and the robed and masked occupants of the room was one of disappointment. He'd hoped to be rid of these and it looked that now he was back at Hogwarts his peace was over. But he soon realised the dream was different in many ways. Rather than looking through either Nagini or Voldemort's eyes he was 'visiting' like he was experiencing a memory in a pensieve.

Voldemort was angry. One of his masked death eaters was trying to explain a situation he didn't understand himself. The dementors had been present as planned, had started making their way to the train when all of a sudden they had stopped as one, turned around and fled. So when the death eater didn't give the desired answer Voldemort was ready to strike. Harry braced himself for the pain he was sure to follow from these curses. But to his relief no pain came and he was able to pick up the fact that a Basil from the Ministry Transportation Department had informed Voldemort of the whereabouts of the captured Death Eaters and that plans were made to free them in two days time. Voldemort continued to describe in detail the roles of each of the very junior death eaters to cause distractions by attacking residences of muggle parents of several Hogwarts students, information he'd gained by having Basil perform an Imperious Curse on the witch working in the Muggle Liaison Office, while the more senior of death eaters would then attack the holding area and liberate their comrades. He stressed the secrecy of the plans towards the other death eaters, which to Harry made no sense until he saw that a few more Death Eaters were called, one of them clearly recognisable as Professor Snape. It was obvious that the newcomers would have no knowledge of the earlier discussed plans and instead were fed an entirely different plan of attack.

Following this dream he did not wake up but instead found himself in the familiar room at the Ministry where Sirius was waiting for him and explaining that although they knew Harry would prefer not to have these dreams, they figured he would prefer to experience them if it meant he could prevent those Death Eaters escaping and most likely come up with a way to capture quite a few more.

Harry had to agree with the outcome of that reasoning. He would never forgive himself to know that he could have prevented that escape but had opted instead for a Voldemort-dream-free life.

Harry woke up after that and decided he'd better warn Professor Dumbledore. Even with two days in which to plan a counter plan, they would need to know of Snape's false information or likely blowing his cover as spy.

Casting a small Lumos spell, Harry sat at his desk, even happier now that Dobby had already unpacked his trunk, and quickly penned a note to Professor Dumbledore.

Dear Professor Dumbledore,

I'm sorry for interrupting your evening, but I had another dream in which Voldemort explained his plans to free the captured Death Eaters from the Ministry rooms K19, K20, K21, K22 and K23. He received information on these locations from a man called Basil from the Transportation Department. From an imperious cursed woman (by Basil) in the Muggle Liaison Office they found the home addresses of eleven first year muggleborns. Junior Death Eaters will attack those homes in order to create diversion on this Wednesday evening at 22:30.

After this initial meeting five more Death Eaters appeared (including Professor Snape) but they were given plans for an attack on Tuesday evening. Not sure what they plan to do, but I guess it's best to NOT send any visible backup.

If you like I'll provide the memories for you to review this dream. Sirius gave the message that they're going to let these dreams through in order to help prevent attacks and possible deaths.

Signed feeling sleepy but reassured I can still help

Harry Potter

He called Lilly and she appeared with a small merry tune and he asked her to make sure Professor Dumbledore received the note immediately if he was still awake, or otherwise the moment he woke up. Even if it was Professor Snape doing the waking up it was important he saw the note before undertaking any action.

From the little bowl on his desk he took a few phoenix treats for her before she went off and Harry returned to bed, to fall asleep almost immediately, the only dreams he had of catching lots of golden snitches in a row.

- - - - - - - -

Author's Note :

While waiting for the corrections and changes to be made to the manuscript I typed for a friend I had hoped to be able to write at least a little, but it looks like all my inspiration has vanished after that boring monstrosity. Since this chapter was ready I decided to post now but I'm not sure if I'll be able to post again next week. Keep your fingers crossed that the juices start flowing again soon !

Thanks for your continued reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate.

Have you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s) ? You might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along and offers a little extra info and pictures on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	33. Chapter 32

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**32 Rediscovery**

Despite his interrupted sleep Harry woke up early next morning still feeling refreshed. Putting the idea of a nice morning swim out of his mind he got up anyway, took a leisurely shower and got ready for the day. By the time he made it out of the bathroom the others in his dorm were slowly showing the first signs of waking up.

Since he had no idea what his new schedule would be Harry decided not to take his schoolbag just yet. He would be able to come and get any books he needed for the day after breakfast. So he left the dorm for the Gryffindor Common Room to wait for the others. He had just taken a seat on the same sofa as last night when Ginny, mere moments later followed by Hermione came down the stairs. The two girls joined him in the seats and they sat and talked for a while until both Ron and Neville came down from the dormitory. They decided to continue on to the Great Hall and have breakfast a little earlier than usual.

When they arrived downstairs they found the Great Hall almost deserted. Most likely a lot of students had trouble to get back in the swing of things. As they were tucking into a hearty meal more and more students were arriving and they had nearly finished by the time Professor McGonagall handed them their schedules.

Harry was really happy with his list. At least he only had one of those horrible one-period gaps in his planning. They were awful as they left you with a full free period but at the same time it wasn't very useful for doing homework or research in the library.

NEWT level classes were different in that aspect that the classes were mainly given over three consecutive periods rather than the previous arrangement of double periods and a second sitting of one period per subject. Comparing his schedule with the others he saw he shared Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings with Ron, Hermione and Neville in Transfiguration, Herbology and Charms and on Thursday they had DADA in the afternoon. On Monday afternoon he shared Basic Healing with Hermione and on Wednesday after lunch he had Wizard Society class together with Hermione and Neville. That left him on his own on Monday immediately after lunch in a double Ancient Runes, and a double Arithmancy on Tuesday afternoon. The single periods for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy were both on Thursday morning – with the free period in between. Much to Harry's surprise the second period of Basic Healing was to be a solo class and timing for that was to be discussed with the teacher. A similar arrangement had to be made for his single period of Care of Magical Creatures.

With a little luck he would be able to take all his classes on the first four days of the week, leaving him with a whole Friday without classes. And he was the only one of the six of them with a full day free. That should help him in studying.

Ron's schedule looked surprisingly full and Harry was amazed to see his friend had signed on to take OWL level History of Magic again and would start with OWL level Muggle Studies. Hermione's schedule looked impossibly full with nine NEWT level classes and Harry wondered if she might not have taken on too much.

Neville on the other hand had decided to really go for the Advanced Healing and had limited his other courses. Of his seven subjects he shared five with Harry, the two other ones were Advanced Herbology and Advanced Healing. Ginny, still on the 2+1 period sessions of pre-OWL schooling had a more fractured timetable and especially her Thursday looked very busy.

Of course although it wasn't noted on their class schedules they all also had the Saturday morning Potions class with Elijah who would be introduced as Harry's private tutor in Estate Management.

The first owls had started to arrive with mail and a haughty looking grey one delivered Hermione's copy of the newspaper when in came Hedwig strangely looking delighted at having a note to deliver to Harry. Harry petted her before removing the note. While he was reading the short message Hedwig had taken place on Harry's shoulder taking the opportunity to pet him right back, ruffling through his hair.

The note was from Professor Dumbledore to invite him for a spot of tea after his afternoon class so he could have a look at Harry's dream.

Harry turned slightly in his seat to ask Hermione to borrow a quill when he saw a first year stare reverently at Hedwig.

"When that man came to our house and told us … he never said they were this beautiful …" managed the clearly over awed youngster.

"Would you like to pet her ? Hedwig likes that." encouraged Harry. The boy must be muggleborn and obviously still slightly in shock from the new world he was discovering. And after all, Hedwig was a beautiful and special owl.

"She does ? I can ?" the boy looked up with wonder and anticipation clearly written on his face.

"Sure, I'll introduce you to her. So what's your name ? I'm Harry."

"I'm Harry Weedon."

"Well," chuckled Harry, "that'll be easy for Hedwig then."

"Hedwig, this Harry Weedon a first year Gryffindor and he thinks you are beautiful too. And Harry, this is Hedwig, my very first magical friend and the prettiest owl I know."

Hedwig ruffled her feathers, looking all important and happy with Harry's praise. When the younger Harry gently stroked her feathers she gave a soft hoot of pleasure and his face beamed.

"Hey, Hedwig, will you hop on young Harry's shoulder for a moment so I can answer that note ? And then I'll need to be off right quick to pick up my books. I don't want to be late for class."

Borrowing Neville's quill, Harry quickly confirmed he'd come to Professor Dumbledore's office after Basic Healing and then sent Hedwig off with the note after offering her a piece of his bacon and a last few strokes from the first year.

He wished young Harry a good day, told his friends he'd meet them in class and then sprinted off to his dorm to pick up his course books for Transfiguration, Ancient Runes and Basic Healing. Despite having to retrace his steps when he found out his usual route up to Gryffindor Tower was blocked he still made it to the class with plenty of time to spare.

The door to the classroom stood wide open and Professor McGonagall was already seated at her desk. Wishing his professor a good morning he went to the back of the classroom and took a seat. After all, he didn't know which house they would be sharing the class with and he didn't particularly want to have his back turned to the likes of Malfoy. He needn't have worried. Along with Hermione, Neville and Ron in came Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones from Hufflepuff, but he was surprised when next to enter were three Ravenclaw boys and two Slytherins. Harry had no time to wonder about this as mere moments later the bell rang to indicate the start of the new school year.

"Good morning class, and welcome to 6th year NEWT Transfiguration.

As a teacher of a NEWT subject I'll start with some general information that you will be hearing a few times this week as it is valid for all your NEWT subjects and for both 6th and 7th year classes.

First I'll start with the more practical side of the changes. You will have noticed the new set up of your dorm rooms. These private study areas will give you the peace and quiet that most students require for the individual studying you will need to conduct. Also changed is that the 3-period NEWT level classes are no longer split up over two separate sittings but come in complete blocks of three consecutive periods. This means that class breaks will vary from session to session depending on the subject at hand. This could result in several short breaks throughout the session, or a longer one somewhere along the way, or even no break at all, but finishing class early.

As you have now passed your OWL exams you enter into a different stage of your education. Gone are the days that your teachers were handing out the lessons you needed to learn. From now on you are expected to study the subject prior to the lesson. My colleagues and I will not so much teach you the subject at hand but rather offer you more detailed explanations on what you've learned on your own. You can expect large research-and-report essays from us that will enable us teachers to keep an eye on your progress.

Unlike the OWL system of grading where any of the three passing grades returns you one OWL, the NEWT scores are variable upon each student's knowledge and test results. Per subject a maximum of seven NEWTs can be scored. A minimum of four NEWTs is required for anyone going for a Mastery in any one subject. This flexible scoring system is the reason why we put such emphasis on the solo studying.

As a consequence of this new way of learning there will be far less demonstrations in the classes themselves, so you will be required to practice outside of our sessions and to this end practice rooms have been set up on the sixth floor.

Previously these practice rooms were limited to be used by sixth and seventh year students only but with the large classes in first year, a decision was made to grant all classes access. Where previously only the North wing on the sixth floor was blocked off, you will now find nearly the entire sixth floor dedicated to the practice rooms. You will be asked to attend a short meeting tonight where Professor Dumbledore will give you a more detailed explanation but in the mean time know that practice rooms can only be accessed through the portrait of Bob Cratchit in the west wing stairs on the sixth floor.

Although exams toward your NEWT score are not until the end of your 7th year, the preliminary tests in June will play a major role in your future. The result of these end-of-6th-year tests will determine what happens in your seventh year and even your further academic career. If your score should be too low, you might be advised to drop the subject, be banned from actually taking a Mastery or advised to postpone that Mastery until after your Hogwarts education. You might be given summer work, additional research and essays, or even get recommendations for extra reading material.

For those of you with a mind on a Mastery, full details of the entire Mastery process along with previous Mastery Manuscripts will be at your disposal in the Library. You need to hand in your chosen Mastery subject by mid September of your 7th year and will receive confirmation or rejection of the subject within the next two weeks.

During the final two weeks before Halloween you'll each be given an hour of one-on-one time with all your professors. These sessions will allow both student and teacher to talk about progress made and discuss any problems or questions.

To finish off this introduction I'll give you an overview of what NEWT Transfiguration has to offer over the next two years and what I'm expecting you to study by next week but first, are there any questions so far ?"

Harry raised his hand along with several others.

"Yes, Mr Potter."

"Professor, I understand why there is such an emphasis on individual work. But are students allowed to work together at all ? Can I, if I'm stuck, ask assistance from the other students ? If something from the beginning of the chapter is unclear and stops me from understanding the following theory wouldn't it be beneficial to work together ?"

"That is indeed a good question and a valid point you have, Mr Potter. However, what if the person you ask assistance from has the wrong explanation for you ? However inconceivable it might sound to you Ms Granger might just be incorrect in her assumption at some stage ? Up to a certain point working together would prove beneficial but it could also become a hindrance. Although we do not forbid you to work together we do strongly advice you to at least try the individual route as a test."

Hermione, sitting in the row before Harry, was sporting a fair blush and the others had been chuckling lightly at Professor McGonagall's words.

"Everyone will have different ways to study and these first six weeks of sixth year will give each of you the opportunity to find the best way suited especially for you. If you are confronted with a problem or don't understand what the course books tell you, try one of the books on the additional reading list, check in the library, or, what could work also, just put it to the side, do something different, take a break, and revisit the chapter the next day. Should the problem persist at least you'll have encountered it before classes giving you the foresight as to what aspect of the lecture you need to pay closer attention to. And if even that fails, don't hesitate to contact your teacher. You'll find our schedule is tighter than any of the previous years but we are all still willing to help out."

Professor McGonagall continued to explain that the reason for the stress of solo studying lay in the fact that ultimately each student had a different goal to achieve despite the seemingly same NEWT exams come seventh year final exams.

"Those of you considering a Mastery in one of their NEWT subjects will have to dig much deeper into their course books and other reading materials and trace connections that often go far beyond the subject at hand. Studying along side someone else, even sharing a similar goal could therefore be restricting. The staff realise of course that these changes can appear daunting now you are only at the start of the process which is why you are given the opportunity for a one on one meeting with all your teachers in six weeks. By then you'll be in a much better position to judge your progress and problem areas."

By the time their first ever NEWT class was over Harry decided he would need to readjust his earlier opinion that this year was going to be hard work. Sixth year as well as seventh most likely were going to be extremely hard work !

With both Ron and himself having a class at one the four of them were having an early lunch. Ron was teasing Hermione a little over Professor McGonagall's remark earlier that morning but in true Hermione style she took the subject to heart and read him the riot act instead over how he now would have to do all the work on his own, which shut him up nicely.

After the two boys had a confirmation on the location of their respective classrooms the two of them set off agreeing to meet up around five in the Gryffindor common room.

Leaving Ron behind on the first floor where the Muggle Studies classroom was located, Harry continued on to the only part now freely accessible of the sixth floor where he would have his first lesson from Professor Vitkarsdottir. As he was the first to arrive in the room Harry was once again able to choose a desk in the back row. Until he knew who else would be taking the class along with him he would take no risks or allow the possibility of Malfoy taking a seat behind him.

It wasn't long before the first of the other students showed up. Susan Bones and her housemate Megan Jones were first and gladly took up seats on either side of Harry. The two girls were closely followed by Padma Patil, Lisa Turpin and Morag McDougal to enter and Harry saw a trace of disappointment on Lisa's face as she saw someone occupying the seats next to him. Harry became a bit uncomfortable at the entry of two more girls, Sally-Ann Perks and Chandra Moon. With only a minute before start of class he remained the only male student and it wasn't until Dean Thomas showed up in the nick of time before class started that Harry sighed a breath of relief.

Professor Vitkarsdottir was quick to introduce herself and invite them to call her Professor Freija. After asking after their previous experience in Ancient Runes, during which Harry found out that Chandra, Morag and Lisa had previously taken Ancient Runes but had either not done the exam or failed it, Harry didn't expect to hear anything too life changing so he was pleasantly surprised to find that OWL courses taken after 5th year offered the albeit hard option to still obtain a NEWT in the subject at the end of 7th year. In fact there were several options open to those taking the course. The easy option and the one Harry thought was the only one was to simply take the course and sit for OWL exams at the end of 7th year. For those with a little more ambition or for those with a prior knowledge of the subject there was the option to take the OWL exams at the end of 6th year with the additional possibility of continuing through with the subject on NEWT level in 7th year. And, although rare, it was even possible to obtain a mastery in the new subject, but that had been someone who'd done very few other NEWT level subjects.

Fortunately the decision on what you wanted to do regarding the subject could be made later as for these subjects too an individual session with the teacher would take place somewhere in the last two weeks of October.

Also new was the fact that the students were under no obligation to actually attend the solo period for the class, Harry had seen it was scheduled Thursday morning. The reason was the scheduling conflicts of many students with few teachers, and priority was given to NEWT level classes. So for instance this year anyone taking NEWT Potions – scheduled on Thursday morning – would automatically not be able to take that solo period of Ancient Runes. The students who were free to attend were under no obligation to do so but some notice would be appreciated.

The result of all these various options made that the only difference between NEWT and 6th year OWL classes was the fact that the OWL classes still came in the classic two sittings of one double and one solo period.

With twenty minutes before the start of the next class Harry had plenty of time to make his way to the classroom and unavoidable he arrived as first student. Madame Pomfrey was already present and contrary to Professor McGonagall who'd only wished him a good morning in return, the school nurse started up a conversation.

"Hello Mr Potter, I don't have to ask if you've had a good summer holiday, I can see that you did."

"How's that, Madame Pomfrey ?"

"This is the first time, Mr Potter, that you arrive in Hogwarts with colour on your cheeks, you've acquired some muscles and if my eyes don't deceive me you've had a growth-spurt and put on some much needed weight. "

Harry sported a slight blush as he confirmed her observations.

"You are quite correct Madame Pomfrey in that my summer was brilliant. I spent all but one week of it with Remus, four house elves, a ghost, a portrait-uncle and a magical house looking out for me. My friends were around and we spent most of our time having fun."

By now Hermione had arrived with Daphne Greengrass following close behind her and Madame Pomfrey, stating that the class was complete, started on giving them an overview of what the course would entail and what they could expect.

The room itself was split in two, one side had a classical classroom set up with desks for both teacher and students, the other side on the other hand was set up as a mini-version of the Hospital Wing.

This particular sitting of the subject, on Mondays and with the three students present, would be dedicated to the theoretical side of the course. The second sitting, different for each student, would be the practical application of that theory with the aid of a Patient Dummy. This dummy was a life size doll that could be spelled to be any age and display any symptom imaginable to allow the students to practice both the diagnostic and the healing spells out without running the risk to hurt anyone.

For the remainder of the class Madame Pomfrey showed them a few important spells, demonstrated the possibilities of the dummy and finally discussed their second sitting. With so few students all three of them were able to get the most advantageous times sorted, Harry simply filling up the gap period on Thursday morning.

After class Harry walked Hermione to the library, as she wanted to legitimately explore the restricted section, which was a perk of being a NEWT student.

Continuing along the fourth floor south wing and the east wing stairs up to the seventh floor he approached the entry of the Gryffindor tower when he heard the young and slightly panicky voices of what turned out to be a large group of first years. They were silent the moment they saw him coming, but one of them called out his name in obvious relief.

Harry recognised his namesake he'd met that morning.

"Hey young Harry, how's your first day been ?"

The Gryffindor first year started to talk about all the wonderful things he'd already experienced that day. A second boy, a Slytherin, sidled up next to the young Harry and nudged him in the arm. In a stage whisper that the whole group could hear loud and clear he said "That's not important right now, ask him if it's true ?"

"Is what true ?" queried both Harry's simultaneously.

"Is he, ehm, are you really Harry Potter ?" came the question, now in a far more subdued tone.

"Ah, yes," confirmed Harry, "my name is indeed Harry Potter and I would ask you all of your names, except that we'd be here until morning, there's so many of you. So are you guys and gals exploring the castle ?"

"No," wailed one scared looking girl, "we're lost and we'll be late and we'll be expelled …"

"Oh, don't worry, the teachers understand that you can be a little late these first days. The castle is complicated and most have been first years here too. So where do you need to go ?"

"Astronomy Tower"

"Ah yes, this is where Hogwarts teases us a little, see. You were going in the right direction, but on this floor you cannot get through the South-East passage. OK, so quick orientation for you all. Walk with me to the stairs."

Harry led the group back to the stairs and showed them how to orientate themselves in future.

"See through the windows, and you can just about spot the greenhouses to the south and more on the north side there's Hagrid's hut and beyond the grounds you can see the Forbidden Forrest. That means you are in the East Wing. Now you need to get down to fifth floor, and walk along the east wing hall, towards the greenhouses, and then along the south wing hall to the main stairs. Take those stairs back up to the seventh floor and then along the south wing hall to the astronomy tower, that's in the direction of the front drive."

As he was explaining Harry gestured the correct route with his hand, and, as if by magic, a ghostly looking map appeared with one miniature puppet-like figure walking the route Harry described. The majority of the group was right impressed with the display and Harry was quick to give credit where credit was due.

"See, if you're ever lost again, all you need to do is ask Hogwarts herself for help just like she did now. Off you go then or you'll be really late."

The group chorused their thank-you's and goodbye's as they started down the stairs and Harry watched their progress until he lost sight of the last of them.

Harry decided to send a quick message off to Professor Sinistra and then retraced his steps back into the direction of the stone gargoyle. With his password accepted Harry made it up the stairs and into Professor Dumbledore's office in record time and was soon sitting in a comfy seat sipping tea while Mad-Eye and the headmaster were exploring his dream in the pensieve.

The two men came out of the pensieve and Mad-Eye started asking Harry questions about how truthful Harry felt the dream to be.

"It's hard to say, really. This is a new experience for me." started Harry only to be interrupted by another question from the not-so-retired auror.

"Albus said you've had these before though ?"

"Well, yes, but it's different from before, isn't it ? Now it feels just like going into a pensieve, before I was seeing things from Voldemort's point of view, and I felt the pain he caused from casting the crucio's or other spells."

Mad-Eye nodded seemingly not all that interested in what Harry had to say. The man turned to the headmaster and asked about Snape's account of the evening and Professor Dumbledore was able to verify that things had happened just as they came to pass in Harry's dream.

"With that difference Harry, that Professor Snape was aware of the ruse when he arrived along with the suspects. Voldemort has had to accept Severus as his right hand man what with most of his inner circle in prison or of little use."

"The real question we have, Albus, is where to leave the prisoners. Obviously the Ministry itself is no longer an option if some of the workers are helping Voldemort. And Azkaban is out as well."

"Yes Alastor, a new prison is our first priority. And preferably one that's fool proof."

"I might have a solution for you." Harry intervened.

The two men immediately turned to him with a question clear in their eyes.

"It's one of the Black properties that has in a very distant past already served as a prison. I could hand over temporary guardianship like I did with Grimmauld Place. That should keep it very secure."

The two men kept looking at him and secure in the knowledge they wouldn't be able to look in his head Harry stared right back, a small smile on his face. It wasn't too often he could surprise these two !

After a few moments of staring Harry continued.

"If you want I could show you around the place in half an hour or so. I would need to check some details with Dobby beforehand. Maybe you could invite one or two trusted aurors and Madame Bones along ?"

"That's fine by me, lad." answered Mad-Eye. "Why don't you ask Shack and Jones ? We know those two can be trusted, Albus."

"Alright. We'll meet back here at five, that should give everyone plenty of time to get here." agreed the headmaster, after another long look at Harry.

With his trunk-study room the best location to call for Dobby Harry was on his way to the Gryffindor tower but he'd barely made it to the hallway when he received a patronus message from Mad-Eye.

The man made it to Harry's side surprisingly quick and immediately he set up a privacy shield.

"OK laddie, now we can talk."

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Author's Note :

Hello everybody,

After what feels like a lifetime ago I'm returning - albeit tentatively - to the world of fanfiction. As a reminder, my eldest sister passed away mid May and those first months were hard on the entire family. But life does go on and slowly but surely things do go back to the way they were before.

In the past month or so I've been reading other fanfics again and I've reread HBPR too. That felt really weird at times, as if I was reading someone else's work … I'm posting this chapter here now, the next one on my yahoo group (chapter 34) should go up – if not today – in the next two to three days.

Thanks for your continued reading. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate.

Have you enjoyed this (and previous) chapter(s) ? You might be interested to know the story is a few chapters further along and offers a little extra info and pictures on my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	34. Chapter 33

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

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**33 Meetings, Meetings, Meetings**

Harry took the remaining time until five to check in with Dobby to make sure Black castle would take to the visit as he wanted and to inform his friends of his unexpected absence for the next hour or so.

At just before five he made his way back to the Headmaster's office and found he was the last to arrive. After the initial pleasantries were over Madame Bones asked Harry about the location and Harry was quick to seize the opportunity.

"You know Azkaban, I'm sure ?"

Madame Bones nodded her agreement and Harry continued.

"Now, there are no dementors around of course, but overall it's a hundred times worse than Azkaban I imagine. You should just experience it for yourself, I think."

And then, as agreed with Mad-Eye, Harry took hold of both Madame Bones and Professor Dumbledore and said the activation phrase "I sentence you to time in Serious Hell Prison" and away they were.

Harry landed left of centre of the Main Hall of Black Castle where he was soon joined by Mad-Eye, Kingsley Shacklebolt and auror John Jones whom Harry had seen twice before at Grimmauld Place. Of Madame Bones and Professor Dumbledore there was no sign. The three men had been looking around and you could tell from their faces they were impressed enough with their surroundings.

John asked after his boss and Harry explained that prisoners would automatically be placed inside their cells and took them to the nearest moving room in the outer hallway. Just like Mr Black had described the room took them down to the lower floor, a ding-sound not unlike in a muggle elevator announcing they'd arrived. He explained about the auror accommodation being located among the cells and the aurors were pleasantly surprised to find these staff quarters extremely well fitted.

Harry's next stop was just a few doors down the hall. At first glance they stopped at an identical door. The tell-tale sign that this was a cell door came from the fact that when standing right in front of it the door looked to be transparent. Inside they could see Madame Bones, seated on a very basic looking chair. Right besides the door a Status Report Parchment listed Madame Bones' full name, her age and a clock counting down the time the prisoner was still locked up for. Both current prisoners had less than a minute to go before they would be released. Another remarkable feature on the Status Report Parchment was the Castle-made list of crimes that the prisoner had committed. With the current list containing crimes like "eating too much chocolate frogs" and "being too chipper early in the morning" Harry explained the crimes had been made up as part of the demonstration but the feature would be fully functional as soon as real prisoners arrived in order to avoid a situation like the wrongful imprisonment of his godfather.

The clearly shaken guinea pig prisoners were released and Dobby immediately appeared with a mug of hot chocolate for both of them. It didn't take long for the beverage to take effect and the two were quick to confirm Harry's earlier comment. Azkaban was a holiday resort compared to Serious Hell Prison.

Mad-Eye popped out to get two further unsuspecting prisoners in the form of two aurors to show Madame Bones and Professor Dumbledore exactly how the system worked and how they had really been seated in their prison cell. Again two Status Report Parchments appeared by the doors and they were able to see the information contained upon it. After their short stay in the cells Mad-Eye escorted the two aurors back to the Ministry to make sure they drank a cup of hot chocolate.

The five remaining at Black Castle made their way up to the Centre Hall to await Mad-Eye's return before taking a tour of the ground floor accommodation and outside space. The Centre Hall's outside wall in glass was a big hit, even for Harry. His previous visit had not prepared him for the views on what was now a sunny afternoon. At first glance there was nothing but the deep blue sea with its constant movement and different colours blue, green, grey and white. But looking closer it became apparent the castle was situated high on top of an island of rocks. The tranquillity of the inner courtyard was contrasted rather impressively by the jagged ruggedness of the drop and lay of the rocky land on the outside.

After looking through the various rooms on the ground floor the group returned to Hogwarts to further discuss the workings of the prison and the practicalities of the hand over.

Since the castle would remain a Black family residence of sorts Dobby, as head house elf, would be in charge of getting more elves but the costs for running the prison like the food bills would be charged to the Ministry. For those awaiting their trial special holding cells would be called into life. Even with better living conditions than the real prison cells these would not be all that pleasant, and the Status Report Parchment would still be displaying the vital statistics of the person inside, a feature that Madame Bones highly appreciated.

It was also decided that as an immediate measure only those Death Eaters in the Ministry holding cells would be relocated but long term plans would be to transfer all prisoners to the new venue, thus making sure that no innocents were currently behind bars.

When Harry asked if the Minister had no say in this, Mrs Bones was quick to put Harry's mind at ease. The Wizengamot had, after the defection of the dementors, given the matter in the hands of Mrs Bones in order to facilitate the search and possible solution to their prison problem.

Happy with the outcome of the meeting Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower with a small list of things he needed to do in the next twenty-four hours. Passing through the crowded Gryffindor Common Room he sent a message to his friends to join him in his trunk study in fifteen minutes. Luckily neither Seamus nor Dean were present in the dormitory and Harry was able to instruct Dobby on his share of the jobs to be done : finding more house elves that could take care of Black Castle and its future inhabitants and visiting the stationery shop in Hogsmeade.

When Hermione, Ron and Neville arrived Harry told them about the unexpected dream-vision he'd had during the night and that he'd just spent the time with Professor Dumbledore, Madame Bones and two aurors visiting Black Castle that would become the temporary new prison.

"But what are you going to do during the holidays then, if your house is a prison ?" asked a bewildered Ron.

"Black Castle, Ron, is where the prison will be. Harry said so just now." replied Hermione, clearly stressing the Castle part.

Ron looked bewildered for a moment, and his widening eyes were the only clue as to his sudden realization that there was yet another property Harry had inherited.

"Black Castle was actually the first official residence of the family from before they were officially named Black. It was built to be a prison cum home and combined both muggle and magical building means. It sits on its own large island of rocks in the middle of a sea although I have no clue exactly where that would be. Mr Black lived there until shortly after his wedding and the castle has been empty for the last 300 years or so. I'm not allowed to tell you how exactly it works, but one of the features is a Status Report Parchment that has a detailed list of all the crimes the prisoner has committed, that is made by the castle itself."

Harry continued to describe the castle itself and the living accommodation in some more detail. Harry also took this opportunity to tell them about what he'd come up with as a solution to his earlier dilemma as to what to do about Dean and Seamus with regard to his trunk study and library. His earlier idea to allow his friends unrestricted access to his trunk now seemed a bit unnecessary, what with access to individual study areas within their dormitories. Harry didn't think they'd be too annoyed about his extra special study area within his trunk but would allow them access to the library whenever he was in his study.

By the time they made it down to the Great Hall for dinner they were starved. Used as they were to a quite elaborate tea halfway between lunch and dinner they felt the effect of the passing of nearly seven hours since lunch.

The Hall was nearly full when they arrived but it was obvious from another wave of students entering shortly after them that the last period of the day had only just finished. Soon enough the entire staff table was fully occupied too and it was at this stage that Professor Dumbledore called for attention.

"I do hope you have enjoyed your first day back and am truly sorry to interrupt your dinner but I would like to request that the 5th, 6th, and 7th year students remain in the Main hall after dinner for a short meeting. Thank you."

There was quite a bit of a buzz after the announcement amongst the younger students as they started the guessing game of what the Headmaster might have to say. It took a bit longer than usual for the hall to clear with a few of the fourth year Slytherins trying their best to blend in with their older house mates, and it took three tries from Professor Snape, the last of which was a loud verbal dressing down of said students, before they finally left for their house dormitories.

"Thank you for your time. This won't take too long but I must start by apologising to the students in sixth and seventh year for most will have heard this same explanation only today, or have lived with the old system for the past year, but with most fifth years not really aware of the perks that come with NEWT studying, I do need to take up some of your time with a repeat of this information.

Everyone is aware that once you pass your OWL exams and you enter 6th year there's a huge change in the way you will learn here at Hogwarts, but one of the new aspects of that studying has remained a well-kept secret.

The main change in the way you study after your OWL exams is the preparatory work you need to do before your classes. To this end you need to read ahead of class, and for those classes with a practical aspect attached, even practice the practical. But since some of the material covered in 6th and 7th year can be too tricky or powerful to safely practice in the common room or dormitories, special practice rooms are at the student's disposal. You will most likely all know that the 6th floor North Wing is permanently closed and that is exactly where these practice rooms are situated.

Now, when a student wants to enter one of these practice rooms, he or she has to go to Mr Bob Cratchit's portrait and that man will guide you to the appropriate room. Each practice room houses several portraits of witches and wizards who were exceptional in a particular subject of Hogwarts' curriculum and will be able to help you should you be stuck. The portraits are also there as messengers if ever urgent help should be needed, if something were to go wrong while you practice.

I can hear some of you thinking, so if this is such a well kept secret why tell us now ? The reason is simple enough. We requested additional staff since we knew the first year classes were going to be so much bigger than those of the last decade. Alas, the Ministry refused. This means that most teachers have no means to properly teach these kids the practical aspects of their subjects and consequently, the students will lack important knowledge. Our solution was to open the practice rooms for them, but we also decided to open them to all students. To allow for all these additional rooms nearly the entire sixth floor has now been cordoned off. Mr Cratchit, who is housed in the West Wing stairs on the sixth floor, will still strictly control entry to the practice rooms.

In the fifty odd years this system is in place only two instances have occurred that the portraits have had to call in the help of a teacher to come to the aid of an unfortunate student. Now however, with all these extra students making use of the rooms, we wanted to ask for your additional assistance in this matter. The portraits would not only notify the most suited teacher but also the nearest student of 5th, 6th or 7th year using the practice rooms at the time of an incident. Please rest assured that we do not expect any major disasters from this new system, it is just an additional precaution we wanted to put in place.

Now for the practicalities of the system : we are only going to inform the other students as of next week, giving all of you, and here I'm specifically looking at both 5th and 6th years, to get the feel of the practice rooms before the hordes descend on them. I'll leave you to ponder this. Should you have any questions, please feel free to ask any teacher for assistance. Good evening for now."

The Headmaster left the room, and most students slowly made to return to their respective common rooms. Harry, aware it was now gone 8 already and the old DA was supposed to be meeting, told Ginny who was seated closest he would quickly make his way to the Room of Requirement to activate it for the DA meeting and he discreetly made his way out of the Main Hall.

With all the remaining DA members but one actually in the meeting with the Headmaster Harry knew no one was likely to be waiting for him to arrive, but he still wanted to make sure the secret of how to call for the room remained just that.

After making the required three turns in front of the door Harry opened it to find a roomy but cosy living room, with comfortable couches for seating some twenty people and small side tables scattered in between them. At one end of the room on a large table were several types of juices and glasses available as well as several bowls of crisps, sweets and popcorn. Happy with the result Harry didn't have long to wait for the arrival of his friends and the remaining DA members.

"Good evening all. First of all I'd like to say sorry for keeping you in suspense for the additional day on what's happening with the DA but I didn't think the train was the best place to have this conversation. To cut a long story short : the future of the DA depends on you all."

Harry raised his hand to silence the few that were about to interrupt him.

"I don't think I'm telling a secret when I say that last year was not a very good one for me. The DA and your friendship and support were really what kept me going. So it'll be no surprise either that early on in the summer I'd made up my mind to continue the DA if you were at all interested."

"That's so typically you, Harry ! To even consider thinking that we'd not be interested !" joked Zacharias.

Harry tried to give him a moody look but failed to keep the smile from emerging for very long and a few of the girls gave him a pleased look.

"Anyway," continued Harry, "that's when Professor Dumbledore contacted me on behalf of the Board of Governors.

The DADA scores of last year, as you won't be surprised to hear, were terrible with many a student barely making a passing grade. However the DA members with their fantastic results stood out so much that the governors asked for and received an explanation. The outcome of that talk is that the Headmaster has asked me, us, to continue with the DA …"

Harry had to stop as the old members loudly voiced their approval and agreement. After a few moments that Harry used to take a sip from his tropical fruit juice he was able to continue.

"Yes, well, there's a down side to the story, I'm afraid. The governors would want to open it up for the entire school and especially promote the group among the 2nd and 3rd years of all houses."

Once again Harry had to raise his hands to stop the group from voicing their concerns and objections but he was able to continue quickly enough.

"I know, that idea is ridiculous. But I have a solution that largely depends on your assistance to make it work. The solution that I came up with involves three different sessions. One weekly Junior DA session would be for 2nd and 3rd years. This would mainly allow them to get a little extra supervised practice under their belt and we could teach them a few of the easier spells. The second session or the Teen DA would be for all those 4th year and above that weren't part of the original DA. I'd planned on giving these guys the routine we did last year. And a third session would be the Senior DA, or you guys, with slight revisions but with lots of new material to cover.

The snag would be that I cannot do these sessions alone and would need, depending on the size of the group, one or two volunteers for each session to help me supervise. Going with 2 assistants per session, and 8 sessions per month, this would mean that each of you would sign up to participate as assistant in one two hour session per month on top of the weekly three hour Senior DA meeting.

And that's it really. If you could let me know if you are willing to help out and join the DA by Friday afternoon that would be great. Then we'd have a week to officially get the group going."

After only a few moments of silence Susan Bones sat a little straighter and said "As far as I'm concerned Harry I don't need the extra time to think about it. I'm in and look forward to it already."

"So am I." came from both Hannah Abbott and Lavender Brown, closely followed by the „And me." from the two Creevey brothers.

"I'm in too," said Terry Boot, "so why don't we do a show of hands to see who's in or not ? It'll be quicker than this !"

Harry just sat looking on all surprised at the outcome, as not two minutes later the entire group had agreed to join in the DA and the assistant's role.

"OK. I think I can take that as a sign you're all eager, right ?" laughed Harry and the others just nodded and joined in the merriment.

"So I guess we can go on to more practical aspects. My schedule is good for Monday, Wednesday and Friday sessions and I had been thinking about Friday as the Senior DA meeting what with that being three hours. Does that fit in with your timetables ?"

There was general nodding until several students shook their heads and told him they had Astronomy classes at ten.

"I've got classes till just before 5 and Astronomy at ten, but if a 7 o'clock start is good, and you stop just before ten, then I'll make it work." said Seamus with some determination.

"Is everyone agreed with that ? We can limit the sessions to just two-and-a-half hours so you'll all have plenty of time to freshen up a bit before your class. With those practice rooms at your disposal you could do a bit of additional practicing when you've got the time and disposition."

The idea met with general approval and they discussed the possible amount of students that would sign up.

"When Professor Dumbledore talked to me about it, actually when I'd just voiced my own concern at the amount of people that might show up, he said that it shouldn't be a problem. Not all students will be interested in the first place and well, I guess now that everyone has these practice rooms at their disposal … Anyway, I've not got them with me, but there's a poster for each Common Room Notice Board. If two of you could put your name on there to act as contact person for your house to answer any queries and take the registrations that would be helpful. I have one of the house elves who will put up the poster in the Slytherin common room with the DADA teacher as contact person at Professor Dumbledore's suggestion."

There was some resistance to have Slytherins join in but Harry was able to put their minds at rest when he mentioned the sign-up sheet and the special charm it would hold.

"Will the meetings be here again ?" asked Justin.

"Actually no, Professor Dumbledore has another room set aside for us but I've yet to see it. But once I have all the names of those interested in the DA I'll draft a letter with clear instructions. Professor McGonagall was going to get me a copy of the class schedules for the school so I can make out which session will suit either of the two groups best. Official deadline for these groups is 15 September, but since I figured we might as well start on the 16th, I'd like a list of registrations by Thursday the 12th, and I'll then get the letters out on the Saturday. Should the numbers be really high though, could you give me a little warning ?"

Harry took a few swallows of his juice before continuing.

"Can we compare schedules for the next few days to see if I meet up with anyone from either house to hand over the poster ? And could you let me have your preference for which of the sessions you'd like to assist in ? That can be based on day of the week or on the group and then I'll come up with a rota of sorts so you'll have an idea of when to present yourselves for duty." smiled Harry.

The group remained in the Room of Requirement for another hour or so, sitting around, catching up on some more news, and in Harry's case finding out he would see Ernie Macmillan for Hufflepuff during Herbology and either Padma Patil, Terry Boot or Michael Corner for Ravenclaw during his only other class on Tuesday of Arithmancy.

With everybody back in their respective house common rooms Harry was off for his trunk study again to set up the last of the arrangements needed to have Black Castle set up as Serious Hell Prison. First of all he read through his grandfather's manual for the trunk to make sure he had the procedure he needed to set up the portal between his study and Black Manor Library down to a tee. Once this was set up successfully he called in the aid of the still impressed and delighted Mr Black to set up an additional feature for both Madame Bones and himself.

Two charmed books would act as the household books allowing Harry and to a certain level Madame Bones also to make adjustments to the general running of the prison to make sure that the prison itself could run smoothly and at the same time the books would keep track of all the prisoners inside the building. It would also be a direct link between Harry and Madame Bones should any changes be required that only the master of the house, Harry himself, was able to make. He made up the package, along with some additional instructions, ready to be sent to Madame Bones in the morning.

After a little extra talk with Mr Black - Harry was surprised to find how much he'd missed the ghost in the last few days - he returned to the study area where he had a talk with Dobby, who was delighted to tell that he'd found two house elves to take up the job of caring for Black Castle.

As Harry returned to his dormitory he scared both Seamus and Dean witless by appearing out of nowhere and it wasn't until Harry told them about the trunk that they saw the still open door to his study inside. Harry explained about the trunk being made for his father and being very much more grown-up than the usual student trunk. He showed them around the study and the interconnecting door to the library and explained they were very welcome to peruse the library if they wanted.

The two young men expressed their understanding of why Harry would prefer to work in this area rather than the dormitory one and thanked him for even considering sharing the library with them.

Just before bed Harry remembered to write two more notes, one to Hagrid asking for the best time to meet up in order to set the time for their class, and one to Professor Dumbledore mentioning that he'd finished his Prison Preparations and asking to meet regarding the DA room.

Tuesday morning, after a very nice, uninterrupted sleep, Harry got up early, and sent both Lily and Hedwig on their way with the notes and package he'd prepared last night. After taking care of his usual morning ablutions he packed up his bag with his gardening tools and protective gloves along with his class book and several pieces of parchment for a morning of Herbology, and even with two hours for lunch, he decided to take along his Arithmancy book and his pre-prepared posters for the DA.

As soon as his friends had joined him in the common room they made their way down to the main hall and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, an added bonus you got from getting up on time. They were finishing their meal when the owls arrived with the mail. Surprisingly two owls made their way to Harry. There was Hedwig carrying two notes, both replies to his own messages, and an unknown owl with a thick letter addressed to "My Boss, Mr Harry J Potter" giving away the sender had to be either Charlotte or her sister in law.

Both owls were given a rasher of bacon for a job well done while Harry got to mentally fill up a few spots in his agenda. He'd be meeting with Hagrid right after Herbology and have tea with the headmaster after Arithmancy.

The letter from Charlotte contained a few unexpected additions. As he opened the envelope two pictures fell out. One had Charlotte, her three kids and another young woman standing in front of a lovely home, waving at him like mad and all wearing wide grins with the inscription on the back "September 1996 – our new home". The second picture was a large room that held two desks and loads of filing cabinets and Harry didn't need to read the inscription to know that was the total sum of his fan-mail in Charlotte's new office!

Much to his surprise the letter also included a list of names, printed on what was clearly muggle paper and most likely generated by computer and the title at the top was what gave away the meaning of the list. Apparently this was the list of those who'd been sending him the most letters in the past fifteen years. A second paper held a time chart that indicated that he received a steady stream of letters throughout the year, but his birthday, Halloween and Christmas saw an awful increase in the amount. Other "peaks" were indicated as being explained by articles in the newspaper reporting a "Harry Potter sighting" or his re-entry into the Wizarding Society, or all the press coverage he'd had in the past few years.

And last but not least there were also four parchments with what were clearly children's drawings. The first one, signed Oscar in a neat print, was a colourful mix of blobs that Harry was able to identify as handprints. The second one was a lovely drawing of the new house. From the name Thomas that was printed in a more wobbly way Harry was able to identify the eldest son of his new administrative assistant as the artist. Two further parchments had the once again neatly written Helen on them and they were both colourful drawings of blobs with sticks that made no sense to Harry.

Charlotte's letter gave further explanation.

Dear Mr Potter,

Thank you so much ! After our meeting at Gringotts my sister in law accompanied me back to our new home to take measurements and decide on colour schemes and the different destinations of the wonderful rooms. We were still in the process of taking all these notes when your house elf Dobby showed up and asked for his instructions.

Thanks to your generosity and his tremendous help we were able to move in late yesterday. What a luxury not having to pack and repack everything three times (like it would be with the kids around). Dobby snapped his fingers and the whole lot seemed to move as if in a dance. Packing was done in fifteen minutes flat !

It wasn't until all was packed up and moved out of our earlier home that the spells there fell and I cannot tell you how I feel realising we lived under those horrible circumstances without even knowing it !

But then, another surprise ! Travelling around with small children is no mean feat, especially if, like in my case, you have no alternative mode of transport like a car. But Paul organised a limousine that drove us from our old home to Ottery-St-Catchpole. The kids were having a ball in that giant car as the owner had transformed part of the car into a downright playground. And by the time we made it there Dobby had unpacked the lot and dinner was served. If moving house was always this nice I'd do it more. Only, this place is heaven so I don't think I'll want to move ever again !

Griphook came by when the kids were all off to bed and produced several helpful lists from the mail-mountain. With this house being muggle-proof or whatever you call it, Karen has been able to install her old computer and we were thinking to use it to keep track of all this information (making it easier to look up addresses and details about people). She has already been able to transfer the information on the timing of your mail (see chart) and has started to make the list of your most ardent writers. Would you please let us know if this is how you envisioned us working or do you have other ideas ? That would be very helpful.

The moment we arrived here in our new home Helen made you a drawing as a thank you and has been insisting we send it to you. But when Thomas heard about the drawing he too wanted to send you one, so that as a result you receive not one but four drawings (while Oscar and Thomas were making theirs, Helen joined in to make you another one).

Oh my, this was supposed to be a quick thank you note and I have been rambling on a bit. That I believe is the result of too much good air and a huge relief at these new happy circumstances I find myself in. Thank you for giving me the thorough mental kicking I needed and the generous and wonderful offer of employment and housing. This family will always be in your debt for saving us.

Regards

Charlotte

Your Administrative Assistant

PS I realised you have no experience with children's drawings and their hidden meaning. Young Thomas is letting you know he really loves the house and garden, baby Oscar just wanted to pet the paper (and lick off the paint). Helen on the other hand painted pictures of your wedding day and the family picnic many years later judging by the eight (or are there nine) kids surrounding you.

Harry nearly choked on the juice he was drinking. Surely she was joking !

Ginny, who was sitting next to him despite not having classes until that afternoon, had picked up the photographs and grinned when reading the inscription "the mailroom" and at first glance just commented on the seemingly nice family in the second picture. But she took a closer look and murmured to herself the place looked familiar. The chart paper was next but didn't hold her attention, the list with names on the other hand made her eyes widen when she realised what it represented and that the person in the lead had written him just over a thousand letters in the past 15 years. She had just picked up the four drawings when Harry had his juice accident and she merely scanned the top one while turning her attention to the boy next to her to see if he needed aid and thus missed the wedding picture she, having been the sort of little girl who would draw similar pictures, would be able to interpret without help.

Harry in the mean time had recovered his wits, of course Charlotte was joking, and he penned two confirmation notes to Hagrid and the headmaster that he sent off with Hedwig, told the other owl it would be some time before he could reply and sent it back home before collecting all of the papers and parchments from Charlotte's letter and putting them away.

- - - - - - - -

Author's Note :

Hello everybody,

I never thought it would once again be this long before being able to post the next chapter. After my sister passing away last May already it took quite some time and I had good hopes when I posted the previous chapter that life had returned to an albeit slightly slower version of normalcy.

But I've been battling my own small war with a very resisting infection since. Although life started up again after a four week illness, I was still not inclined to read, let alone write. But the wounds are almost healed now (nurses are still dropping by once a day though) and I've finally been able to do some more writing, the result evident in the posting of chapter 35 over on my yahoo group.

I would like to take this opportunity as well to thank all those of you who've added me on your author alert list, or added the story to your favorite or update list. It was much appreciated in those –what felt like extra dark - winter days I was ill. Would love some feedback from you though. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate. For a little extra info and pictures I can recommend my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	35. Chapter 34

34 More of the not so usual

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

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**34 More of the not so usual**

Herbology classes too were influenced now they studied the subject at NEWT level and it brought with it several changes. There was the same pre-class reading requirement the other subjects had, and Professor Sprout showed them two hitherto secret plots in both the greenhouses and the garden housing the more dangerous plants. But anyone taking Herbology in 6th and 7th year, on both OWL and NEWT level, were each given access to a small greenhouse and garden plot. The students were not really required to start and tend their garden, with the theoretical aspect of the exams good for a possible score of four NEWTs, but anyone thinking of a Mastery needed to have at least one NEWT scored in the practical application of the class.

Professor Sprout continued with allocating each student his or her own plot, explaining the basic rules regarding these private gardens and then gave them the general overview of the coming two years. And as a sign of things to come, they also received their first report assignment. Professor Sprout too stressed her preference to have them work alone on the assignment and gave them the subject they would need to read up on for the next class.

As they were let out of class a little ahead of time, Harry still had a little over two-and-a-half hours before his next class. Hermione on the other hand had a little over half an hour before she was expected in History of Magic after which she'd be free for the day and both Ron and Neville had no further classes on their Tuesday afternoon schedule. They all agreed to meet for lunch at one, giving each of them time to pursue other things beforehand.

Neville stayed behind and discussed his class of advanced Herbology with Professor Sprout while Ron wanted to contact Madame Hooch to schedule the Gryffindor Quidditch try-outs and future training sessions. Hermione joined Harry on his way over to Hagrid. As luck would have it they saw Hagrid returning from inside the forbidden forest as they too made their way over to his hut. Hermione left after a bit of small talk and Harry enjoyed a cup of Hagrid's tea while he recounted the happenings of his summer in more detail. Especially the presence of such varied number of inhabitants in his very own forest had Hagrid enchanted.

Harry on the other hand learned that Grawp, Hagrid's half-brother, had moved to live with a newly founded tribe that consisted of giants that had moved out of their own tribes in search of a more peaceful existence. Madame Maxine, the headmistress of Beauxbatons, the French school of witchcraft and wizardry, had heard of the existence of this new community and had contacted Hagrid with a view to have Grawp join them. The two half-giants had visited and been welcomed into a very peaceful society and Hagrid had felt secure to bring Grawp to live among them as several of the giants around spoke a similar language so Grawp would feel more at home but at the same time still be able to learn more English.

As for Harry's class Hagrid was very easy going with that. As far as Hagrid was concerned Harry was free to join him anytime it suited him. When comparing their schedule however Harry saw he might be able to join with his classmates either on Wednesday or Thursday at 5 but the concept wasn't quite so interesting when Hagrid said the only two students to take the OWL Care of Magical Creatures class were Crabbe and Goyle. They finally agreed that Harry would join in on the Thursday, which was the single period class the two Slytherins were allowed to skip.

After a very leisurely lunch Harry and Ginny were the only two off for a class, in Ginny's case even her first and only class of the day, a double period of DADA. The whole group got up to leave and were joined by Luna who was taking the same DADA class as Ginny. The two girls said their goodbye's as they were off for the classroom on the first floor, the rest continued on up and it wasn't until they made it to the fifth floor east wing stairs that Harry continued on alone along the East wing corridor towards the Arithmancy classroom while the others made their way up to the seventh floor and Gryffindor tower.

He wasn't the first to arrive this time but the three Ravenclaw girls already present had taken a seat on the first row of desks so it still left his favourite spot free. He was very happy to see both Terry Boot and Michael Corner arriving next with the three of them taking seats in the back row as next to arrive was Theodore Nott.

By the time Professor Vector arrived so had the remainder of the class, in total 12 students equally divided in number between the sexes and made up of the mix of one lone Slytherin, two Hufflepuffs, four Gryffindors and five Ravenclaws. Professor Vector herself was an average looking woman in her mid sixties and if asked Harry wouldn't really be able to tell what she'd been wearing or how she looked. The only thing that did make an impression on him was the way her face lit up once she started talking about her subject in more detail.

Once again the class was made up of a mix of people with very varied backgrounds in Arithmancy and for the total novices like Harry and Dean Thomas she had given a very detailed description of what Arithmancy would bring and what the practical applications could be. This was one of the subjects Harry had in fact most looked forward to. From Mr Black and his tuition in the summer he'd picked up a few principles that were handy when building new protective wards or creating charms and spells so Harry was keen to learn as much as possible.

For the rest they were once again given the entire spiel of working solo, the different options they had as to what they might want to achieve and the type of work she expected from them. All in all Harry was quite happy to have added the subject on his curriculum.

After class Harry returned to the seventh floor and up to the headmaster's quarters where the two of them had tea and talked about Harry's surprise of the day before. It didn't take the headmaster long to guide Harry along down to the ground floor level and Harry was surprised to be led along the west wing corridor, an area most students didn't go to. The nearest Harry had been was during the Divination classes with Firenze and even that room was close to the entry hall. Professor Dumbledore stopped in front of a painting depicting a couple seated on a simple wooden bench under an oak tree looking out over a sun drenched rose garden.

"My Lady, kind Lord, this is the young man I spoke about earlier. He is in need of your quarters so he may learn and prepare for his future as heir and head of a mighty family. Have you set a password for him and his friends ?"

"Indeed we have, headmaster. Mr Potter, please advise your friends the password for entry is set at "Potion in Motion"." spoke the man, who'd stood up and walked closer to the edge of the frame, thereby showing off his magnificent attire.

At first glance Harry had mistaken his clothing to be a rather simple cloak worn over a tunic and trousers but as the man had moved into the sunny area of the painting the fabric had lit up and the ornate embroidery had become visible. The dark yellow of both the cloak and tunic turned a brilliant gold and the dark brown of the cloak lining and the trousers were instead a deep red that looked to change colour with every move the man made.

Before Harry had had the time to take in all the details and properly thank the couple the door swung open and Harry was led into a large suite, as truly you could not call it a classroom. There were three sections in the room that was situated in one of the corners of the castle. Although the first section along the west wing housed desks for ten students they were nothing like the simple school desks they'd been using in their regular classes. The second section offered dual aspects to both the north and the west and had armchairs and low side tables scattered around the space, offering seating arrangements for any occasion. The third section along the north wing was a very grand looking potions lab with ten individual workstations, each offering a basic selection of potion ingredients and any out-of-the-ordinary tool they could wish for as well as several reference books. The set up was spacious and luxurious, not to mention very bright and warm compared to the setting of their earlier potion classes down in the dungeons. There was a door leading to a separate room and upon closer inspection Harry learned it was a comparatively small office with just a matching set of desk, chairs and bookcases in some rich reddish brown wood. The different rooms were done in cream, with small gold and red touches, the colours very much like the clothing of the couple on the guarding painting.

Professor Dumbledore explained that there was only one other suite like it in the castle and that the set up would not give anyone cause to complain about the private tuition Harry was given. After all each of the many old families had different traditions when it came to educating the heir of the estate. Some families were inclined to limit the education to those subjects required for the heir to successfully run the family business, Ollivander and their wandmaking being a good example of that. But other families would encourage a more varied knowledge and would teach their heirs from a wide selection of subjects, be it management, potions, charms or warding or any other subject imaginable.

The suite, so the headmaster continued, would also be considered Harry's office away from home and anyone arriving to speak with Harry on business matters would be directed here, as officially no visitors were allowed beyond the ground floor of the school.

What with NEWT potions classes also so varied depending on what level of studying you were willing to put in, each of his friends taking the classes with him would have access to the suite all the time to allow the brewing of those potions that required multiple-day simmering. They left the rooms and Harry took the time to thank the couple for the use of their suite before following the headmaster up again to the sixth floor. Standing on about the same spot as where the stone gargoyle stood a floor up Professor Dumbledore pointed out the painting of two guards, and said, more to the painted guards than at Harry himself :

"The opening password for the Gathering Room of the Defence Association is "Mischief Maker" and can only be used by Mr Harry Potter, Head of the Defence Association."

One of the two guards moved aside as he said "Acknowledged, Headmaster" and the painting cum door swung open to what Harry believed to be the largest room, other than the Great Hall, in the entire castle. To the left large windows were letting in plenty of light and a small portion to that side of the room was dedicated to gaining more knowledge of the more theoretical side of Defence with several desks and plenty of filled up bookcases. To the right and occupying the largest portion of the room were padded walls and what looked like equally well padded floors with oversized cushions scattered around.

All Harry could think to say was "wow" and he heard the headmaster beside him chuckle.

"I'll take that as a sign you like the room ! A little like the Room of Requirement it will provide you with most anything you can think of provided it has to do with DADA of course. Unlike the potions room downstairs, no one will be able to enter unless you are in here. I don't want to create dangerous situation with students sneaking in here unattended. As you can see, there are no supervising paintings here to seek help if needed. As you have also heard the password I just gave is yours alone and even when you are in here no one would be able to use it to get in. That means you'll need to come up with your own password for the students."

Harry nodded his understanding as the headmaster asked him about his meeting with the old DA members the night before. Harry informed the headmaster of the enthusiasm of the old DA members at starting up again, and the headmaster told Harry of the change in plans to move only the death eaters in the ministry holding cells to Serious Hell prison, as the first of the Azkaban prisoners would be moved there as they spoke. Those detained in the Ministry holding cells however would only be moved late Wednesday to allow the aurors to set up a trap for those death eaters coming to free their comrades without alerting their accomplice Basil of the changes.

With the two of them fully up to date on the other's news Harry made his way back to Gryffindor tower to start on some of the work he'd already accumulated in the past two days. It involved a lot of reading and note taking and Harry was even now beginning to wonder how he'd be able to keep all his notes in good order. Despite looking through the library at Black Manor before he'd not found any reference to anything useful.

They'd nearly finished their dinner by the time Professor McGonagall came in and she walked over to Harry and handed him a scroll of parchments with the class schedules for the entire school before making her way to the head table for her own dinner.

Later that evening, after a few games of Wizarding Taboo with a group of students from several different grades, Harry looked through the various class schedules and decided to run the Teen DA sessions on the Monday and the Junior DA on Wednesdays. With sessions starting at a quarter to eight it would give everyone plenty of time for dinner even if some of the students had classes until nearly seven and it also gave them a bit of leeway to make sure that everyone was in their common rooms before the ten o'clock curfew.

Breakfast the next morning, it was still only Wednesday, brought news from the Auror offices when the morning papers were delivered. The article revealed Skeeter's status as an illegal animagus, and how she had used her form to spy around and listen in on all kinds of conversations. Mention was also made of her not so friendly use of the memory charm on Madame Malkin and misrepresentation of facts when reporting.

The first class that morning of Charms was pretty much a rerun of the previous NEWT classes Harry had attended so far. Professor Flitwick stressed the importance of regular work, lots of reading and practice, doing the job on your own but not to be afraid to ask for help anyway and once again explained the very different goals each student had while taking this subject.

After the equally mandatory overview of what was to come in the next two years for Charms NEWT classes, their reading assignment for the next session and the round of questions they were free to go a little earlier than usual. Harry walked up to Professor Flitwick to ask a non-charms related question he hoped the tiny professor would be able to help him with.

"Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, might I ask for your help already ?"

After a nod from the teacher Harry continued.

"As part of my inheritance I received a complete overview of the estate from the goblins at Gringotts and I discovered that several nifty charms and spells were used on that report that allow you to retrieve information quickly. When Remus explained about the NEWT courses and all the note taking it involves I figured that something similar to those report spells would come in handy to keep track of all my notes. I've scoured the Black library but all I found were some general sorting charms and I wondered if you could perhaps point me in the right direction as to where exactly I would find that kind of helpful spell."

"Ah, yes, Mr Potter, it is quite normal that you didn't find any traces of such charms and spells and I'm afraid I cannot help you either. Most students, actually most wizards never see those spells in action, and if they do, it would be much later in life, or at the earliest just after their 17th birthday when they gain control of the family estate. Your own unusual legal status has given you that knowledge earlier than expected. You will learn about this phenomenon during your Wizarding Society classes, but in short it comes down to the protection of the wizarding professions.

Let me explain this better. The education you receive here at Hogwarts is in fact a very good basis for whatever profession you wish to undertake. However, for most professions you will get additional training once you start your job. If for instance you were to take on a job as a teacher here, the staff would be able to give you some very handy spells and tools that would help you overcome some practical problems during teaching, scoring tests and grading papers. But signing that contract when you join the teaching staff also binds you to not give away these particular teaching secrets to third parties. And that's how it goes for most professions.

The only one able to help you would be an administrative assistant or possibly an accountant and even they would not be able to just tell you, rather provide you with ready made solution, whatever that may be."

"So that's why ! It does make sense that people want to protect their profession, but I never found any reference to why they weren't to be found. I just never thought it could be something like that. Thank you for explaining, Professor."

"My pleasure, Mr Potter."

Wednesday lunchtime this year proved to be slightly chaotic. Both Neville and Harry had a two hour break before their afternoon Wizarding Society class, but Hermione had a History period right after Charms, and an hour for lunch before she too attended Wizarding Society. Ron on the other hand had his lunch break right after Charms, followed by his solo period of Muggle Studies, a two hour break and then his History of Magic class.

Harry took the opportunity of the long break to answer Charlotte's letter and ask her about the report charms and spells before joining Neville, Ron and Ginny in the Great Hall for lunch. Harry had barely tucked in when the two Weasley siblings got up to go to their classes and Hermione arrived, muttering something not too nice about boring ghosts, sat down next to Harry and continued ranting in a slightly louder voice at how Professor Binns should be banned from teaching since he was so boring while loading her plate with food and Harry couldn't help but laughing out loud.

Quite a few heads turned to look at the astonishing view of a laughing Harry Potter but the boy himself was too busy looking at a blushing Hermione to notice. Hermione in the mean time was blushing just because she'd noticed all the attention and she wanted to find out what had set Harry off.

"Harry, really, what did I say that was so funny ?"

"Hermione, it just struck me as real funny that you, the smartest person at Hogwarts at the moment, bar maybe a few of the teachers, need five years to come to a conclusion that Ron and I, along with the rest of the Hogwarts population, have reached within ten minutes of our first lecture with him !

Hermione looked at him as if he'd just declared that the sky was green instead of blue but then she too grinned. "That's true ! I guess it took Mr Black's storytelling to wise me up." was all she said as the three of them continued their meal.

They made their way up to the fifth floor east wing where they found the classroom door wide open and the woman they assumed to be the teacher was already present. They bade her a good afternoon and took place in the second row in the hope that indeed only a few students would attend the class. As they grabbed their satchels to take out quills, parchment and books the teacher spoke up.

"There is no need to unpack your things just yet. We are awaiting the two other students before we change classrooms."

So when Susan Bones and Daphne Greengrass arrived the teacher lead them out of the classroom, via the main stairs up to the seventh floor and from there, surprisingly, up the Astronomy Tower. Two floors below the actual Astronomy classroom a door appeared that Harry had never seen before but lead into a comfortable yet posh sitting room with a view to die for. Situated near the top of the Astronomy Tower, the tallest of Hogwarts' towers, on a clear day like today you could see for miles in any direction as the room offered a 360 degree view.

The five of them stood around, uncertain as to what to do next. There were six comfortable looking armchairs that offered no possibility to easily take notes, but then again, no other seating was visible. When told to take a seat, they did and found the chairs immediately offered writing tablets to the side.

Now they were seated the teacher started on her version of the first day in class talk. First of all she stressed the fact that the 5th floor east wing location they'd been in was the correct one. Only, for their Wizarding Society class she preferred the setting they were in now and told them to make their way to their current location for future classes. The introductory classes, as well as those for Wizarding Sports, would be held in the other, normal classroom.

The teacher, who reminded Harry of his aunt Marge but with a far sunnier disposition, gave them an overview of what they could expect to learn in the next two years, but also indicated that some subjects could be addressed in more or less detail as per their preference.

"I'm very pleased to find that the class this year represents the entire wizarding world. Not only do we have representatives from the eldest of families, I can also talk about new families, those created by muggleborn wizards and witches. This will allow us to look at the evolution magical families make as they grow and age.

Another bonus for this class is the fact that the five of you are either head or future head of family, which will allow me to give you detailed information on certain aspects of that responsibility."

The teacher, who had introduced herself as Professor Emelyn Battersby–Hartridge before, started with a proper class and had to apologise to Hermione immediately. The first subject they would be dealing with was the family tree, and with Hermione's muggle background she had not been able to produce a personalised one for her. Instead she'd brought one of a family that had died out some 20 years earlier so Hermione could at least do the same exercises as the others.

When Hermione asked if she could use her true family tree, as her uncle had made one for the family some years ago, the teacher was quite taken with the idea to be able to show the difference between muggle genealogy and that of wizards and readily agreed.

- - - - - - - -

Author's Note :

Hello everybody,

A severe case of gastric flue invaded my home so my original hope to update around Easter was dashed. Hope all goes well now, as my next problem involves MS Office. My old version gave up on me, and I've installed the trial of Office 2007. All went beautifully until I entered my activation key and that didn't work. It leaves me without MS Word at home for the moment while we work out what to do next – don't exactly want to purchase another key – one was expensive enough !

Anyway, I would love some feedback from you. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate. For a little extra info and pictures I can recommend my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	36. Chapter 35

Harry was enjoying the sun in his face, the cries of the seagulls, the gentle salty breeze through his hair and the soft tickl

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

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**35** Dreams and Things

It was with a vague sense of unease that Harry prepared for bed that Wednesday evening. Their Wizarding Society Class had been both very interesting and fun and, even based on this small sample of teaching, it would prove more than worth the extra effort of taking the NEWT class.

Finishing well before Ron's History class had ended and with plenty of work to do, especially reading for tomorrow's classes, the three of them retreated to their own study-spaces. Nearly three hours later, Harry was still trying his best to comprehend the first chapters in his Arithmancy handbook, Ron had come calling to head down for dinner and Harry had gladly complied.

And that's when things had gone a little sour. Ron had been miffed as, upon his return from another boring History class, he'd found not only Hermione but Neville and Harry too occupied doing their homework. It was still only the first week of school and Ron didn't really want to get started on learning just yet. He had wanted to tell Harry about arranging the Quidditch team try outs, the moves he wanted the players to learn, the new brooms the team would be playing with and the many and exciting possibilities a reserve team brought with it. Instead he'd found himself alone with Dean and it just wasn't the same.

All through dinner he'd complained about it and Harry, knowing that an extra read of those first chapters tonight wouldn't suddenly bring him the needed comprehension anyway, allowed his friend to vent his frustration and then gave his comments and limited insights to the different plays Ron suggested.

But as he got ready to go to bed he hoped that Ron's lack of enthusiasm to start on his homework would quickly be solved or the peaceful future in Gryffindor Common Room didn't look too good.

Harry was enjoying the sun in his face, the cries of the seagulls, the gentle salty breeze through his hair and the soft tickling of the sand around his bare toes as he held his lovely Ginny by his side. They were taking a leisurely stroll along their beach while the fine summer weather permitted them to do so.

From a short distance off they heard Ron's voice shouting "Hey lovebirds, picnic's ready!" and Hermione's less loud but still audible "Oh honestly, Ron, I could have hollered too."

His two closest friends were seated some way further up ahead, surrounded by a gaggle of children. Ted, Remus and Tonks' son at 6 just made it as the eldest of the group of kids, baby Pippa, Percy's second child, at six months the youngest. There were two sets of twins, boys for Fred and girls for George, another daughter for Percy, Ted's two younger siblings and Charlie's son to complete the group. Their parents were enjoying a free day, while the kids came to play with their youngest uncles and aunties at the beach.

"How do I know all this ?" Harry began to wonder as suddenly the barking voice of Sirius could be heard.

"Harry my boy, well done – excellent dream, by the way !"

Harry looked up, puzzled at the remark, until he saw the not-so-slender Ginny beside him, obviously pregnant with their child. No sooner had Harry had that notion enter his head and Sirius and he found themselves back in the Ministry of Magic in the room with the veil. Not really liking the twinkle in Sirius eyes – not to mention the smirk on his face - Harry just knew he'd be teased with this later.

"I'm sorry to disturb such a lovely dream, Harry, but I figured you'd like to see this for yourself." And away Harry was once again, this time ending up in a dark and dreary dungeon like room. Currently three people were present. Voldemort himself sat on an ornately carved throne, two death eaters kneeled at his feet. They were explaining why they had returned so quickly from their mission. The tower block where they were supposed to go was in fact totally empty and ready for demolition and redevelopment so it was probable the address change of one of the muggle families had not yet been registered in the files at the Ministry at the time Basil had managed to get his hands on the address list. Voldemort was taking their report with enough grace that a mild crucio was their only 'reward'.

But his relative calm didn't last much longer. In quick succession four death eaters popped into existence in the room, one even more dishevelled than the other, two of them sporting numerous albeit smaller cuts, bruises and wounds.

An angry Voldemort was shouting out his fury toward the newcomers as one of them voiced his own disbelief. "He betrayed us, that bastard actually betrayed us."

"Who did?" demanded Voldemort.

"Basil." The death spat said.

"You lie, he would not dare !"

"I saw him, he stood by, smirking as the aurors captured the others." the man replied indignantly.

A look of disbelief showed briefly on Voldemort's face as he looked the death eater in the eye but he was quick to return to his fury and frustration when he realised the man not only spoke the truth but he'd lost even more of his followers to the aurors rather than gaining them back.

Venting his rising anger Voldemort threw out hexes and curses at the six unfortunate death eaters, but in his anger he missed more than he hit his targets which only angered him further.

Harry could see that while Voldemort was blazing in anger and blind to all but his fury his shaking was getting worse and he was – even to Harry's untrained eye – visibly weakening. Once he'd sent the six on their way – ordering one of them to summon Snape – he plopped down ungracefully into his chair.

That's when Harry found himself back in the Ministry of Magic in the room with the veil, where a grinning Sirius and Remus were awaiting his return. Obviously Sirius had not been able to keep his mouth shut about the dream he'd interrupted, but when even Remus started teasing him Harry was quick to retaliate and ask about Remus' own love life and his interest in Tonks. If even Harry, who freely admitted not noticing such things even if they were staring him in the face, had registered enough to come up with that scenario, there had to be some truth to it, no ?

After a blushing Remus had stuttered his way through his denial, they called a truce and discussed the successful actions at the ministry that evening.

When Harry woke that Thursday morning he was sporting both a smile and a blush. How was he ever going to be able to look Ginny straight in the eye after that !

Quickly however, curiosity drove him to his trunk-study to check on the Serious Hell Prison Status book to see what the current situation was.

The book worked even better than Harry anticipated as he looked through the list of prisoners already present in their new accommodation. Not only did he see the sometimes numerous crimes the prisoners had committed but also the current mood they were in.

From the length of the listed prisoners it looked like the aurors had been quite busy in the past two days. Looking in more detail to the list of crimes of some of the senior death eaters, of Lucius Malfoy's calibre, Harry was shocked at the sheer number and gravity of them.

Equally jumping out at him were those death eaters that had no crimes listed other than "forced to join TMR". Harry penned a quick note to Madame Bones to ask what happened with these people. It wouldn't do to release them, as they would just as quick be forced to join once again. On the other hand did they deserve to be locked up ?

After taking care of his morning ablutions and packing his school things for the day Harry went down to the common room to wait for the others and have another go at Arithmancy.

At breakfast a little later the mail delivery brought the student population up to date on the latest news in the wizarding world. Current headline was that Azkaban prison was officially abandoned now the dementors had joined Voldemort and a new prison had been set up with better security and that was even more impenetrable than Azkaban had been. A quote from one of the aurors, most likely one of those who'd experienced first hand how bad it would and could be, would do wonders for the reputation of Hell Prison.

"I've been in Azkaban many times and did not like it one bit, but when I visited Hell Prison I realised Azkaban can be considered as a holiday resort compared to the new accommodation."

The volume of the chattering in the Great Hall had gone up considerably, and a few students, one first year Gryffindor especially, were looking quite sad and upset. Over on the Slytherin table, so Harry noticed, the mood was almost predictably less morose. Malfoy especially seemed certain that no prison would be able to keep his dad locked up for long, or maybe even keep Voldemort from breaking his followers out.

In his first class of the day Harry was reminded that NEWT potions was also scheduled that morning, as several students were missing and he ended up joining just Susan Bones, Sally-Anne Perks and Meghan Jones for class. He felt a bit uncomfortable as only male in the group, but quickly found that these classes would be very good for him. With so few students the class became almost like private tuition.

But no amount of tutoring seemed to help for now and Harry couldn't make head nor tail of it. What had looked so easy when talking to Mr Black at the manor over the summer was now like Chinese. He hoped that a visit tomorrow to Mr Black through his trunk study would bring a little more understanding of the subject.

In his solo class for Basic Healing Harry had a go at his first diagnostic spells on the patient dummy and then questioned the situation.

"Madame Pomfrey, what happens if your patient is severely injured, unconscious and bleeding terribly ? Isn't there a chance the patient might die before you've been able to establish what's wrong or needed ?"

"That is a good question, Mr Potter. It's not something we teach in basic healing, as the spell concerned is protected by the Professional Secrecy Act, and as such cannot be discussed in too much detail with non-professionals. The effect of the spell is that the patient is put on hold, so to speak, freezing the time passing for them. Depending on the strength and experience of the caster, you could buy up to fifteen minutes worth of time to allow you to cast the diagnostic spell. A further advantage is that the spell enhances what's wrong, so you'd get a stronger reading."

"And why don't they teach that to basic healers ? It seems that it would be most interesting to them to know this spell. Coming across someone who's injured far beyond your capacity you'd be able to send for more experienced people to help the patient, wouldn't you ?"

A startled Madame Pomfrey replied "I never actually looked at it like that ! You're right, it's exactly what I do when a seriously injured student comes in. I'll spell him and ask for assistance through the floo from a mediwizard from St Mungo's." Thinking for a moment, she suddenly nodded her head and continued in a certain voice "I'll address this in the next session, Mr Potter. Thank you."

At the end of class Harry received two assignments, one to be handed in next month and the other only due by the Christmas break, but both would require a fair amount of reading and research.

Ancient Runes was a near copy of that morning's Arithmancy, in that once again Harry found himself in a much smaller class with the same three girls. Fortunately Harry had more luck with the subject at hand and he thoroughly enjoyed his lesson.

Lunch was, like Wednesday, a mixed bag of attendances. Neville and Ron both had the morning off but Ron had his Introductory Wizarding Society class at one, just before DADA. Neville had no other classes but DADA that day. Hermione started out her Thursday with Newt Muggle Studies followed by Newt History and her lunch break before DADA. Ginny on the other hand, had a two hour lunch break in what was an otherwise busy day with Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, History of Magic before lunch and double Arithmancy followed by double Herbology and DADA after the break.

But finally it was time for their first official class with Tonks. Ron came back from his first Wizarding Society Introduction class complaining how it would be a waste of time if things continued in this way. As the class was compulsory many students didn't really want to be there in the first place, add a disruptive and stupid git like Malfoy to the mix and you were almost certain to end up with trouble.

The little Ron was able to say before class started however was enough for Harry to be even more thankful he'd chosen the NEWT version. While Ron was busy keeping him informed about the goings-on in his previous class, Harry was looking at his fellow students. So far he'd been lucky and although the classes were mixed with students of the four houses, he'd not shared one class with Malfoy. This, effectively his last but one class, seemed to be Malfoy free too.

Then a once again limping Tonks came in and started immediately on a rather unusual NEWT spiel.

"As this is now your first NEWT year, you are supposed to be doing a lot more on theoretical DADA than on practical."

A few sighs escaped from the attending students and Tonks actually grinned as she heard them.

"But since you've had plenty of theory last year, I am planning to incorporate a lot more practical demonstrations than is the norm. It still won't be quite as much as you might like, but to compensate for that I can highly recommend the student led DA classes that will run again this year. More information on those can be found on your common room notice boards."

Quite a few grins and thumbs-up were directed Harry's way at this, including from Tonks, and Harry simply grinned back at the Senior DA members.

"Unfortunately altering the lesson plans even slightly will leave you with even more reading and studying to do on your own after classes. After all, you still need to take the exams as usual at the end of seventh year."

Tonks moved to the side of the class where a few boxes stood and she directed one upwards and made it float before her. On the side of the box Harry could see in large script the words "sixth years". She moved to the side of the first row and handed several heaps of paper from the box to the first person in that row to pass along, then stepped up to the next row and repeated this several times as she moved down the line of desks, all the while giving her explanation.

"You'll receive two sets of papers. The first I'm handing out now is an overview of what to expect for the next two years from your DADA classes. As your individual goals for this as for any other NEWT subject vary I have given each sub-subject a grading as per the key on the first page. Those interested in obtaining masters in DADA should know the list is in fact the barest minimum required, so those individuals will have a lot more to learn and investigate. Have a read through it at leisure and next week I'll answer all your related questions.

Next set is another overview but this time of the material that is supposed to be known by sixth year. Sadly, I have also noticed that your education on DADA so far has had its ups and downs. Please read through the list carefully and mark anything you are not familiar with. Next week I'll make copies of your lists and will then provide you either with more details on the missing information or guide you to where you can find that information at the earliest possible time. Note you are not required to learn what you do not already know but please bear in mind that some of what you are about to learn can and will be based upon this."

As she spoke she'd finished handing out the first set of papers and gone back to the front to select a second box marked "sixth year" to start the handing out process from the beginning.

Throwing a quick look at the papers, Harry was surprised to see Tonks had worked very much like Elijah had done for his Potions overview. He had an alphabetical list of anything DADA, be it spell or animal, with plenty of explanation of what it did, what to do as counter and a reference to the year it was thought in school.

Tonks continued to explain about the different types of assignments they would get and what was expected of them when handing them in.

At the end of their first DADA session the general mood of the students was happy. Their newest DADA teacher had not only shown she was pretty and fun, but she was knowledgeable about her subject and with a bit of luck on their part it looked like she might shape up to be as good as their previous best professor, Remus Lupin.

After the DADA class Harry was off for his one hour of Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid but not before suggesting to Ron to have a fly once he was done. Ron eagerly agreed and they arranged to meet in the Entrance Hall with Ron bringing Harry's broom.

Much to his relief the two Slytherins for whom this was their solo period were nowhere to be seen, and Harry spent a pleasant hour with Hagrid, who, after some initial discomfort, gave a splendid lesson. It looked like Hagrid was better in a one-on-one situation too, as Harry had never heard Hagrid this ... organised before. He explained that for this level of classes the practical or hands-on part was normally deleted from the lesson plan, as it took up too much of the class time, but Hagrid figured that the practical aspect would be most interesting. After all you could read up about animals any time, but to actually see some of the rare or wild animals up close would be nigh on impossible for most people.

And as Hagrid listed the various species he had already planned to introduce in his classes Harry couldn't help but agree that he definitely would never get to see these animals if it weren't for Hagrid's passion for all magical creatures, great and small.

Great timing or sheer dumb luck on both their parts had Harry arriving in the Entrance Hall just as Ron came down the last few steps, two brooms perched on his shoulder. It was then that Harry realised he still had his bag with all his school things in his hand and really should return that to his room before going outside for some fun. Ron must have noticed something was amiss and as Harry explained his need to quickly run upstairs a youngish looking house elf popped up next to them, and said :

"There is no need, kind sir, youse can use the Location Lockers in this here Entrance Hall."

Harry looked questioningly at Ron who looked back equally puzzled.

The elf noticed his help only brought further confusion so he took them over to the wall that had the Main Hall to the back and, just like the one of the Room of Requirement, an albeit small door appeared at the elf's eye level, and as he opened it, an open space became visible, large enough for Harry's bag to fit comfortably.

"Youse can say the destination youse want to send it to, or youse can ask the Location Locker to hold it here."

The elf than proceeded to put a duster he'd just seemingly plucked out of nothingness into the locker and said "Hold please." and closed the door. The door vanished from sight as if it faded away into nothingness. The elf then moved several steps to the left, where once again a now even smaller door appeared. When he opened it, the duster was right there.

"And what happens if someone has seen me put the bag there and wants to get it out ?" asked a now intrigued Harry.

"No one but whose put it there can gets it," smiled the elf. "Youse try it!"

So Harry thought of a place to store his broom, and a long but narrow door appeared right in front of him. Opening the door he expected to find the same barren bare bricked space he'd seen when the elf used it, but instead the space looked more like the inside of a professional broom carrying case he'd seen for sale in Quality Quidditch Supplies. Ron's surprise was obviously as great as Harry's because he let out a "Bloody Brilliant that" under his breath. Closing the door again after putting the broom inside, Harry watched as … nothing happened at all. He saw the door right there in front of him, but Ron obviously couldn't anymore.

"Hey, where's the door gone ? How am I supposed to get it out ?"

"That's brilliant, here Ron, you try this." said Harry as he proceeded to take back the broom. Then turning to the elf he said "Thank you for showing us. What is your name please ?"

"D-D-Dinky, sir, I is Dinky. Youse is so kind to ask. Thank you" stammered the elf.

"On the contrary, Dinky, we should be thanking you again for showing us and coming to our aid when you have so many things to do around the castle."

"Dinky's happy to help youse young sirs." smiled the elf again and he popped away before Harry could say more.

Ron in the mean time, had indeed tried it out and found he too could now see the door still there. Checking with Harry the latter could confirm he didn't see it this time around.

Happy with the solution Harry deposited his bag in the locker and asked for it to be moved to his bed before quickly catching up with Ron on the way out and towards the Quidditch pitch.

In no time the two of them were up in the air enjoying the fine late summer weather and the thrill of speeding through the air. Harry, happier than expected to have his beloved Firebolt back was zooming, spinning, diving and loop-the-looping as if dancing to a tune only he heard. It was slowly getting dark and they were about to call it quits when they realised the two of them had gained an audience.

Quite a number of the first years, Harry noticed they were from all four houses, were sitting in the stands, some of them with wide eyes and mouths hanging open. He waved and flew their way when he spotted his namesake.

"Hello there, you haven't lost your way again, have you, young Harry ? This isn't the way to the Astronomy Tower, you know." Harry smiled at them.

A few shy smiles, several mild to vigorous head-shakes and a few indignant "No"'s were his answer and it was young Harry who answered.

"We saw you passing by in the Great Hall with your broomstick and were curious to see so we followed you."

"Does that mean you haven't had your first flying lesson then ?" asked Harry.

Again head shakes all around were his answer, although the shyness seemed to have lessened a little.

"It looks so much fun. Will we be able to do that too?"

"Well, some of you might, but not immediately, mind you. Some of you might not because you don't have such an advanced broom, and some of you will probably not like it all that much anyway."

"Why not ?" one of the smallest girls in the group asked, immediately blushing and trying to hide behind one of her fellow classmates.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure either, but my friend Neville doesn't much care for flying. He's very good at herbology and anything to do with growing plants though. So sometimes I think he's sort of too attached to the earth to enjoy flying. And someone like my other friend Hermione enjoys it too much to find out how things work. She'll probably be able to tell you exactly how and why people can fly with these brooms, and why not with others, but although she too flies, she doesn't enjoy it. And well, Ron and I, we just love it so that's why we're good at it I guess."

In the short silence that followed both Ron's and Harry's tummy were announcing loudly they wanted to be fed soon, so amongst the giggling and jostling group of first years, the two made their way back to the castle.

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Author's Note :

Hello everybody,

My working schedule has altered drastically in the last few weeks, so unfortunately I've less time to write – hence the delay in posting this chapter. Hope you enjoy it though.

My earlier MS Office problems are now solved. Thanks to those of you suggesting I switch to OpenOffice, but having purchased the product key already – and no possibility for a refund – I ended up having to re-install nearly all my software. Took the opportunity to add a little oomph to the computer and clear up the hard disk. Keeping my fingers crossed and touching wood – so far all is well with my PC !

Anyway, I would love some feedback from you. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate. For a little extra info and pictures I can recommend my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	37. Chapter 36

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**36 The end of first week**

Thursday evening was quite enjoyable as Harry had decided that with his luxury of a complete day available for study the next day, he'd spend his time once again entertaining not only Ron, but also several of the first years by talking Quidditch – or better said – letting Ron do all the enthusiastic talking as he answered questions from both Harry and several first years. The group was quickly joined by quite a few of the older students and Harry enjoyed the carefree time.

Friday morning dawned bright and early for Harry and he had already finished his Ancient Runes pre-class work by the time he joined the others for breakfast. Looking at all the plates with hearty breakfast dishes, he asked no one in particular, as he took a good portion of cereals.

"Don't you guys ever miss the fruit salads we had for breakfast this summer ?"

The others didn't get a chance to reply as the owls had arrived with the mail, a letter for Harry, one for Neville and two for Seamus, who was sitting close by, and the Daily Prophet for Hermione. The headlines drew quite some attention, and Harry wasn't surprised as he caught sight of them. Hermione, who had finished her breakfast, read out the article to them.

_**Death Eater Escape Foiled**_

_By R.E. Porter_

_A daring plan that involved multiple diversionary attacks on families of several first year muggle born Hogwarts students and a simultaneous attempt to free the soon-to-be-on-trial death eaters who were involved in and apprehended during the fight in June in the Ministry of Magic has thankfully been unsuccessful. Instead of yet another break out, aurors have confirmed that no fewer than 30 additional death eaters have been apprehended and will soon be facing their trial._

_None of the muggle families were harmed. In fact apart from two families who were warned by their burglar alarm – a nifty device that warns them for intruders – none of the families were even aware they'd been in danger._

_Head of the DMLE, Madame Bones, has confirmed that these culprits have been apprehended and have now taken up residence, along with all prisoners formerly detained in the Ministry holding cells and Azkaban prison, in the new Hell Prison. Even with very little lead time, the DMLE have been able to round the operation with near 100 percent success rate. The residence of one student wasn't approached at all, but the DMLE intelligence spoke of the fact that the death eaters obtained the addresses several weeks ago, and said family had moved since. _

_It certainly looks to this reporter that the free license the DMLE have received earlier this summer from the Wizengamot is paying itself tenfold. Since the Wizengamot has given the Head of DMLE more freedom and more importantly – more means – the amount of arrests and successful interventions at attempts of Death Eater attacks have risen. Isn't it high time to look for the significance in that ? _

"Wow, that's so subtle … not!" said Ginny, "but why now, and so openly, too? It's as much as saying 'Fudge, we're on to you!'. It'll give him the chance to hide or destroy evidence of all his wrong-doings."

Ron and Neville had to agree with Ginny but Hermione, although not completely sure, said it must be some kind of set-up.

"It probably means they've gathered all the evidence already, but the timing isn't quite right to start up a case against him." added Harry to the conversation.

"What do you know, Harry, that we don't ?" came from Neville.

"Well, when Paul first let me know about the Skeeter article he mentioned Robert and his frustration at being prevented to report the truth and having to cover up so many things. My thoughts are that Robert probably kept a good look out and maybe even did some digging already back then.

With the addition of the information from Gringotts that Paul has been given, I'm sure a lot of things suddenly added up a lot better than before. Not to mention that with all the death eaters now safely in Hell Prison, the DMLE have an additional source of information. Everything the death eaters have ever done wrong, including bribing a certain minister, would be there for all to see.

But the death eater trials are on in a little over a week, and maybe they want to wait until those are over before destabilising the ministry." And after a little pause, he continued. "And if Fudge does try to get rid of certain evidence, or even tries to flee, you know, they can add those crimes to his list!"

"That certainly makes sense," said Neville, "and it'll be funny to watch how Fudge reacts to this. Knowing him, he might even try to take credit for the free DMLE license."

The idea was preposterous but Harry had a feeling Fudge might just be daft enough to try that and laughed right along with the others.

As he was finishing his breakfast his friends started leaving for their classes. Ron was off for Care of Magical Creatures, Hermione had Ancient Runes and Neville headed for Advanced Healing. Harry joined Ginny as she returned to Gryffindor Tower where she'd be doing her Charms homework before she too was off for a second period session of History. Once back in his trunk study he took his letter and recognising Remus' handwriting eagerly opened it.

_Dear Harry_

_The past few days - since you and your friends have returned to Hogwarts - everyone in the household has been trying to cope with the sudden changes your departure has brought. _

_The house elves have been paying Mrs Weasley, Mrs Tonks and even Mrs Thornby several visits, officially to have a look around, but the three ladies have confirmed to have quite a few chores less to do since. The young order members have also noticed the increase in amounts of dishes and quantities of foods prepared for them and several of the married members have admitted to take food home for their other halves. Another remarkable change is the amount of flowers that have suddenly invaded Grimmauld Place - which is now anything but grim or old ..._

_I myself seem to have established some kind of routine already - predictable, aren't I ? - of mornings spent reading at Black Manor - where Mr Black is always eagerly awaiting my arrival. We were talking about reading for fun and I mentioned my modest collection of muggle novels. The result is that Mr Black is very happily occupied reading through a whole new set of books (to him anyway) and I cannot bring them fast enough. I think I've unleashed a book-monster !_

_In the afternoon Dobby and I spend time at Gringotts to clear out the Black vault of Dark Arts artefacts. It's been slow going so far on my part, as I've hit a lot of stuff belonging to Sirius and that always brings (mostly good) memories of our youth. Dobby is most patient with me as I believe it would go tens of times faster if I'd let him do the sorting. As soon as we've been digging for a while and are hitting upon the older things in there I guess the work will pick up speed._

_As I've taken up residence at Grimmauld Place I plan to spend the later parts of the evenings there but so far that hasn't really happened. I've been to visit Elijah, Luke, Joe and David at their home and stayed later than expected, spent time with Paul and then ended up at Paul's with the four others talking shop about Werewolf Lair, resulting in a visit to Marauderville and its first occupants. _

_I can hear you all the way from Hogwarts to London asking "Marauderville, where's that ?" Well, the short of it is we're looking for a good name for the new village, but so far suggestions were either Potterville or Blackville, and I didn't think either was appropriate. Marauderville seemed the most suited for now at least. We could hardly keep calling it Town-without-Name._

_As to the rest of Wolf Lair Project, we've agreed to meet every Friday morning for the time being so that Paul or Elijah can give you the report on Saturday. In the mean time the werewolf population has been informed through its own channels, rather than through the media, so we can slowly build up the capacity rather than being flooded with takers when we cannot yet supply the required amount of potion. Elijah and Greg are looking for ways to make the potion on a larger scale so they can provide for more people but with their first priority on delivering properly brewed potion they are very careful in their execution of those plans. This month they still plan to make the single batch only so Greg can actually learn and observe._

_Anyway, that's about all the news from this end. How has your first week gone ? Is your schedule a bit to your liking ?_

_Take good care, enjoy yourself and talk to you soon._

_From all of us here._

_Love_

_Remus_

Harry happily reread the letter at a more leisurely pace, grinning again when reading about the house elves and their not-so-secret helping out, Mr Black's hunger for new books and Remus' own comments about his predictablility and about Marauderville. There were several comments already forming in Harry's mind, but he decided he'd wait with writing until Sunday afternoon so he could look back at his entire first week. He was sure Remus would't mind the extra wait all that much.

Returning to the more mundane tasks of the day, he next made a start on his DADA work by going through both the lists Tonks had handed out. Much to his surprise he learned that not only did he really know all the things required for the OWLs, but he'd already made quite a considerable dent in the curriculum for the NEWTs too.

Reading about the first subject on their curriculum in his two course books and several of the additional references showed Harry that indeed things had changed. Gone was the material that had been pre-digested for the students, instead there were texts and theories that differed sometimes slightly, sometimes heavily from one book to the other, and it had him take copious notes and jot down several questions. And as he was having several of his course books now open in front of him he suddenly was very happy his desk that had seemed so ridiculously large at first was indeed the size it had, as he was able to work comfortably.

After spending a bit more time than expected on DADA Harry turned to Transfiguration next and managed to read all the required texts, take plenty of notes and make a summary and a cheat sheet, as Ginny called them, which would be helpful when he had a go at the spells in the practice room.

Following the same method Harry was able to go through his Charms reading and pre-class work to end up with another cheat sheet to take to the practice rooms. As it was well after eleven Harry didn't have enough time to tackle another subject, so he decided on the spur of the moment to head over to Black Manor for a swim and ask for Mr Black's help with Arithmancy for after lunch. He made his way over without a problem and found the study in the Manor to be empty. Assuming that Mr Black might well be in the library reading one of Remus' books, he went straight for the swimming pool room to change and happily spent the next twenty or so minutes tracking from one end of the pool to the other, glad to be exercising even just a little.

Blythe appeared by the pool side just as Harry had started on his last lap and she was full of apologies for not being ready and able to give her Harry a decent lunch and it took a lot of fast talking to keep her from crying.

Dried and dressed again he made his way to the library where he found Mr Black deeply entranced by a book by Agatha Christie.

The ghost looked up reluctantly and sheepishly lifted the book and said:

"This Hercule Poirot was quite a character. I love his sense of humour."

Harry confessed to not knowing about Mr Poirot but that he looked forward to reading all about him later and then queried about Mr Black's willingness to help him out later that afternoon with Arithmancy. The ghost readily agreed and Harry happily made his way back to Hogwarts to have lunch.

It was to be a bit of a hurried affair as the three sixth years all had classes again at one, and with a three hour lunch break between classes Ginny opted to get some work done.

After lunch Harry reread the first chapters on Arithmancy one more time, hoping against all odds that just maybe he'd understand now what they were on about, but he quickly gave up and made his way over to Black Manor once again. This time he found Mr Black in his study, and that man, after one look at his unexpected heir, asked about Harry's first week.

Harry gladly told the ghost of the latest news of classes, subjects and unsuccessful break-outs. When he mentioned his conversation with Madame Pomfrey regarding the time-freezing spell, Mr Black reminisced about days gone by, when he himself had been a fit young man and the spell saved many a friend. When Harry asked after it, Mr Black was quick to tell Harry all about it, the incantation, aevum temporalis clinica, the "right swing and hard jab" motion you needed to make while casting it, which Harry found out was harder to do as the jabbing motion almost instinctively made you put the emphasis in the words you spoke in the wrong place. Mr Black confirmed that the timing in the two was of the outmost importance and that before you had it right, you'd be wrong many a times. Mr Black even handed Harry a very old book. It was handwritten and, unlike the Black Book, not translated to modern English which made reading it very slow going. But even after a few paragraphs Harry realised this was a veritable treasure trove of information. Not only did the author give plenty of details about the spell itself, tips on how to get the combo of speech and motion right, and the explicit warning to practice the spell well before trying it on a real patient, but it also listed the two spells that were not under any circumstance to be used in conjunction with the time freezing spell. It listed the results if you did, explained the reason why they didn't mix and only for one of the two, a counter spell that had to be used if someone had been bespelled by both at the same time.

When Harry then ended up perusing the rest of the large tome, Mr Black offered to make him a list of all the old spells to be found in the book and Harry gladly accepted.

Happy to have had a good excuse to stay clear away from what was quickly becoming a frustrating subject Harry did then ask Mr Black for any insight in the art of basic Arithmancy. As he tried to explain what the problem was Mr Black suggested to try another book and handed over a thin book. The next 15 minutes or so they just sat and read and when Harry finished Mr Black asked :

"Does what you've read make more sense than before, Harry ?"

"It does make more sense to me, but to fully understand it I think I'll need a reread. And I believe the Encyclopedia makes a further reference to some of this theoretical explanation. I think it's a good start anyway. Thanks for your help."

"Don't mention it, Harry. You'll actually find that many people have had a similar problem to yours. They are either good at working through the theory of it all but find it hard applying their knowledge or like you, they don't 'get' the theory as such but almost instinctively they apply it. In most cases like yours you'll find that the harder it gets the better you'll be at it. It has something to do with perception, I believe. "

After some further explanation from Mr Black they parted company, Harry to continue his studying, Mr Black to find out what outrageous conclusion Mr Poirot would come up with next.

Harry was able to finish nearly all his preparatory work for next week's lessons. Only his Wizarding Society and Arithmancy he would have to have a look at on Saturday afternoon.

When he emerged from his study it was to find all but Ginny had returned from their classes and other than Ron they were all hard at work. The two of them went off for another fly around the Hogwarts grounds and only returned to the castle when their stomachs started protesting.

Harry learned that Ron did realise that this year would be a lot of work but he'd promised the twins he wouldn't turn into another Percy so therefore wanted to wait until the second week before making a headway on his work. And he'd done quite a bit of preparatory work on Quidditch this week so it wasn't a complete loss. Harry had to smile at that reasoning, as if Ron could ever get as bad as Percy had been.

After dinner Ron and Harry had a few games of chess, and after being beaten again by Ron, Harry gladly gave his seat up to a first year who proceeded to beat Ron with very little effort, or so it seemed. Their second and third game however things had fallen back into the earlier routine with Ron winning each game, and it wasn't until they were getting ready for bed in their dormitory that Ron admitted he'd seriously underestimated the kid on the first game and had had to work harder than with most of his earlier opponents in the following games.

With breakfast starting an hour later on weekends Harry and his friends had agreed to meet up to go and see the Potions classroom before they ate on Saturday morning. So Harry took them down to the ground floor where they met up with Luna and then continued on through the Entry Hall and taking the hall leading by Firenze's classroom. Once arrived, he introduced his friends to the people in the portrait and told them the password so they could all enter. The others were equally as impressed with their surroundings as Harry had been.

They agreed on the seating arrangements by the work stations and Harry explained about the study that came with the suite. With each of the six students free to come and go as they wished in the suite, they agreed to follow the same rules as in Black Manor - if the door was open you were free to visit.

It was only just gone 8 o'clock when they made it to the Great Hall for breakfast and that room was still rather bare of students, most of which opted to sleep in. The handful that had made it down were all NEWT students, which was only to be expected.

As they took their seats the usual breakfast time magic took place. Plates, cutlery and goblets appeared moments before the usual array of breakfast dishes took up the space between their settings. Much to Harry's joy he spotted a bowl of fresh fruit salad on offer and he gladly partook in the feast.

At a quarter to nine they made their way back to the Entry Hall where Harry was going to wait for Elijah to arrive. At first the whole group had wanted to wait there with him, but although the tutoring was not to be kept secret from the other students neither did Harry want to flaunt it. With more and more students arriving down for breakfast he and his friends would be drawing too much attention.

But Harry discovered that waiting in the Entry Hall on his own was no guarantee that he would not draw attention. On the contrary it seemed, as every DA member said their hello from amidst his or her group of friends and even several first years from the different houses were giving him a tentative 'good morning Harry'. Harry Weedon and a few of the other Gryffindor firsties weren't quite so shy and even came to have a chat with Harry before moving on to breakfast.

As he answered young Harry's question about magic, it was that young man's sudden lack of attention that alerted Harry to the fact someone was standing behind him. He finished his sentence as he turned around to see a smiling Elijah standing there.

"I'm sorry, Professor Teague, I didn't hear you arrive."

"Not a problem, Mr Potter, I only just arrived, and the conversation was interesting anyway. I never looked at feeling my magic at work in quite that way before."

"I couldn't think of any other way to explain it to a muggle-raised wizard like me, sir. Please may I introduce Mr Harry Weedon, he's a first year Gryffindor, and if my recollection serves me right, most likely even more confused about magic now than when he first arrived."

Young Harry nodded his smiling agreement, as Harry introduced Elijah to the youngster.

"Professor Teague is here to teach me quite a few things that aren't on the regular curriculum."

The two shook hands and when young Harry was about to ask a question, Harry intervened and promised him he'd explain after his class was finished. The young Gryffindor nodded and wished them a good class before disappearing into the Great Hall.

Elijah then turned and headed towards the suite they'd be using and although Harry was puzzled at first, he suddenly realised that Elijah would already know where the classroom was, as Professor Dumbledore had mentioned him visiting during the summer.

Other than getting used to their new surroundings their potions class with Elijah was still as good as those during summer, and Harry felt almost sorry when Elijah called it finished for the day.

The assignment he gave out on the other hand was not to be laughed at: from a list of potion ingredients, but no measurements or specific adding order, they were to theorize about as many combinations as possible and the effects these combinations would have. Elijah was quick to stress the theorizing aspect, mentioning the sometimes dangerous situations that could arise from experimenting with potions. This assignment too was due by Christmas break.

It was only when they'd all cleared away and packed up their things that Elijah produced a satchel that he handed over to Harry saying it was from Charlotte and to read the letter first before opening the packages.

Harry decided to wait with reading the letter until after lunch, so the group accompanied Elijah to the main door. They said their goodbyes and then Harry and Ron gladly demonstrated their newfound knowledge of the storing opportunities in the Entry Hall before heading for another wonderful Hogwarts lunch.

They lingered over lunch and followed that up with a nice walk around Hogwarts' grounds before they each returned to their respective study places with Hermione scheduled to visit Harry's library a little while later. Before starting on his last subject of the week – Wizarding Society – Harry eagerly opened up the satchel Elijah had handed him. Out came two packages and a letter that he opened first as instructed.

_Hello Harry _

_Wow! You weren't joking when you said it would be a lot of work. _

_It's pretty hectic now as we're not only trying to find some familiarity with the work but also establishing some routine to our jobs. Once we've done that, and Karen has left her current position so she can be here full time, it will be a lot better._

_So where do I start with all the news and information I have for you ? Well, maybe your mail first._

_When the first of your new mail was delivered to the office, in those few days alone nearly five hundred letters had accumulated. That was only to be expected after the publication of your mail-story, but I must admit being surprised at the sheer number of letters. Even now we receive on average some 50 letters a day but the numbers are going down again. _

_True to your words in the paper we're sending each and everyone who sends in a note or letter a little note of acknowledgement, something simple to tell them the letter has arrived and that they will hear from you, only not right at the moment. Karen and I have come up with some sort of automatic response, so that when an owl arrives to drop of a letter, it can immediately take the note back. The system seems to work well now we've worked out the original problems of mail-owls who'd only been paid a one-way fair. We've purchased Romeo, who will be delivering all our own correspondence so you'll see him on a regular basis, but for the initial fan-mail-replying the Diagon Alley Owl Post Office will be doing splendid trade for us._

_Professor Flitwick is of course correct in thinking I cannot give you the spells to sort out your notes, but I've sent along the next best thing which is a Personal Notes Book._

_There are two types of the Personal Notes Book: the first is the simplest version and they would simply hold all your notes sorted per title or date, depending on how it's set up. In the package neatly labelled "Package One" that Elijah has given you you'll find a perfect example. Rather than sending back and forth all the minutes of the Wolf Lair Meetings, I've arranged for them to be copied in two Meetings Books, one of which is your copy, the other is here in the office. If you take a look now, you'll see several entries already listed, sorted per date. With the help of Paul, the Waverl__ey brothers and Elijah, Mrs Figg and Griphook, we managed to come up with everything that was discussed from the very start of the project so this book will be a nice record for future generations doing research into the 'birth' of Wolf Lair. _

_Anyway, the Parchment Pad that goes with these Meetings Books is here, as I'll need them each week to add the latest minutes to the book. A Parchment Pad looks very much like a regular muggle legal pad. Only the quality of the paper is different, and, of course, they can be used over and over. _

_The notes you make on them will automatically transfer to whatever Book they were assigned for (and that's part of the trade spells). These Parchment Pads can be used for about 2500 Notes - to the average user that should be worth about 6 months of note taking. As a student however I would assume you'll 'run out' after about two months._

_The second type of Personal Notes Book is simply a more advanced version. These can be 'programmed' to make a more intense sorting. You can pre-define a maximum of 20 subjects. Per subject you need to give a sorting code of up to six characters which you will then need to use on all the Parchment Pad entries. _

_In Package Two you'll find your nearly-ready-to-use Personal Notes Book and three matching sets of Parchment Pads. _

_When you open the Personal Notes Book you'll find a numbered empty list. All you need to do is to write the code you want to use, followed by the title you want the subject to have. eg 1 DADA Defence Against the Dark Arts._

_Then, when taking notes, you need to use the appropriate code in the designated area of the Parchment Pads along with the date and paper title. Once finished with the notes they will be automatically transferred into your Personal Notes Book._

_Don't worry if this sounds complicated now : I've added the easy-to-follow instructions within the package and the Parchment Pads are pretty self-explanatory. Once your Pad is all used up, the parchments will loosen from their fastening. When you start on the last Pad just let me know and I'll arrange for more to be delivered._

_That's about it for now. Don't hesitate to contact us if there's anything else we can do for you. By next week we should be ready to give you an overview of the type of letters you've received over the years, along with an inventory of all the presents that were sent._

_Kindest regards_

_Charlotte_

_PS What a lovely surprise it was to have Winky and Blythe over for a visit. They introduced themselves and told me to call on them if I'm ever in need of their help. When they were gone I noticed that quite a few household chores had been done. I do wonder that if this was but a visit, what would it be like if they actually came to help?_

Harry had dutifully opened up the packages as and when Charlotte had suggested but now he'd finished reading the letter he looked over the Wolf Lair Meetings Book with more attention.

It looked very much like a muggle photo album but for the glossy image of several wolves on the otherwise black front cover to distinguish this book from his Personal Notes Book. As he opened it up he saw a short list of entries, sorted per date and all called "Wolf Lair Meeting".

The first meeting report was, much to his surprise, an account of his first conversation with Joe and David Waverley in the Black Manor garden when he'd told them about the Moony Memorial Fund and his question to use the LeBon potion. It went on with their later conversation on the day before the full moon and the conversations that the werewolves had had with Griphook and Schmegg that lead to the purchase of Marauderville. Harry found it was actually quite interesting to read about all the going-ons that lead up to the project being as it stood now.

The instructions for his Personal Notes Book on the other hand made a lot more sense now he was able to actually see what it was all about. As an afterthought Charlotte had also included the way to copy his already made notes into his Personal Notes Book without having to rewrite them and added several more suggestions for the best way to make the distinction between his notes.

After some thought he set up his Notes Book and immediately tested it out with his notes on Wizarding Society. He ended up spending the better part of what remained of Saturday afternoon on copying his earlier notes and he was well chuffed at the result.

Sunday Harry spent a lot of the morning in the Hogwarts library looking through the Mastery Notes to get some idea of what exactly they were, met up with the others for another long lunch and followed that up again with walk outside. The rest of the day was filled up with writing a long letter to Remus, telling him all about his first week, followed by a leisurely stroll from and to the owlery.

- - - - - - - -

Author's Note :

Hello everybody,

My working schedule has not yet changed, I'm still very busy (on a happier note I'm at least still earning some needed cash !) which still leaves me with little time to write – hence the delay in posting this chapter. Hope you enjoy it though.

Thanks by the way to all of you anonymous readers who took the time to read my story and find it enjoyable enough to recommend it to others, put it on your update alert list or fav story list or even mark me as your fav writer. Those notices gave me a much needed morale boost.

Anyway, I would love some feedback from you. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate. For a little extra info and pictures I can recommend my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	38. Chapter 37

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

- - - - - - - - - -

**37 Return to some routine**

After the first week of classes where they'd had very little other than introductions and overviews for the various subjects the second week turned out to be anything but easy.

Not really knowing what was expected of them most students had interpreted the meaning of "studying ahead" in different manners: from the extreme like Hermione who - as usual - had learned her textbooks by heart to the relaxed and easy "I skimmed through the pages" from some students. Harry found himself to be among the 'above average' group and was quietly relieved that his efforts yielded the results they did. If not, the future of the DA sessions would have been bleak.

Fortunately for some students the teachers showed some leniency in these first sessions but Professor McGonagall especially clearly indicated that attitude would not last.

Monday afternoon the class on Basic Healing started out innocently enough but some ten minutes before the end Madame Pomfrey mentioned the spell they'd talked about the previous Thursday.

"It has always been assumed that novices or students in the basics of Healing Arts had no need of a time-freezing spell that can be used on patients, as they would not be confronted with serious cases until they were more advanced in their studies.

However, Mr Potter mentioned last week that maybe exactly those people, indeed the general public, would be most helped by knowing said spell."

She explained the use and workings of the spell in what little detail she could share and continued from there.

"Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to teach you this spell at this moment, as it is protected under the Professional Secrecy Act of 1694 but I have already taken steps in order to get it out from under that restriction. As soon as I get approval I shall teach you immediately."

Harry was wondering if maybe two spells could exist. After all, when he'd talked to Mr Black last Friday about his classes the ghost had told him the spell they used to use and had even been able to come up with the old book where the spell had been explained in minute detail, including several possible side effects, a curse that would in time be deadly if used on a patient under the effect of the spell, ways of detecting the use of the deadly curse and the counter curse to undo it.

"Madame Pomfrey, are there two similar spells ? I was told about Aevum Temporalis Clinica this weekend so that one wouldn't be classified, would it ?"

With indignation and even a little worry in her voice, Madame Pomfrey exclaimed "Mr Potter, who told you ? He or she could be struck off the Healer's list for that."

Harry almost laughed out loud at the idea and had trouble to keep his merriment out his voice when he said:

"That would be difficult since he's been a ghost for ages."

In the short silence that fell Hermione's sputtering was audible and both Harry and Madame Pomfrey turned her way. The two girls in the room bore the look of people completely baffled by the happenings around them. Madame Pomfrey was obviously thinking aloud when she said under her breath:

"A ghost told him … They look like they didn't hear. Just maybe …"

Harry in the mean while took pity on Hermione and Daphne and asked them how much they'd heard only to find they hadn't heard a thing.

"It was really weird, Harry, we could see your lips move, and from the look on Madame Pomfrey's face it was clear that she heard you, but I, we, didn't."

So Harry explained about the Professional Secrecy Act that prevented wizards and witches from talking about a whole array of spells and charms used in magical professions, but that it looked like there may be a small loophole in the system through the ghosts. He explained he'd spoken to a ghost during the weekend that was able to tell him all about the spell but how it looked like he himself was now bound by the secrecy act.

Madame Pomfrey, reminded by the end-of-class bell that she still had her students present, told them she would look further into the matter and she would keep them updated when and if she had any news. Both Hermione and Harry had finished classes for the day, but Daphne had to go for her DADA session, so the three agreed to talk about it at a later stage.

As they entered the Gryffindor Common Room Harry saw Sir Nick, their House ghost, glide through the wall on the right and look around the room. The idea came to Harry in an instant and he addressed the ghost without second thought.

"Sir Nick, may I ask you a question, please ?"

"But of course, Mr Potter, please go ahead."

"Are you familiar with a spell that slows time for the one the spell is cast on, allowing you to seek any sort of help ?"

"Let me think. Ah, yes! Mr Potter, it's probably the Aevum Temporalis Clinica spell you are after. It's a very tricky one, as you need to have both the speech and gesticulation part just right, which can be especially hard under the kind of circumstances when this spell is most used. Better have lots of practice before you use it in a real situation."

From Hermione's gasp as Sir Nick was speaking, he imagined she too had heard the ghost's words, and a glance to the side only confirmed that suspicion as she was scribbling down the spell.

"Would you consider teaching me and a few of my friends this spell, Sir Nick ?"

"Would I …, but of course, Mr Potter, it would be my pleasure. Imagine, me, a teacher !" chuckled the ghost.

"That's a deal, then. Would the first Friday evening of October suit you, Sir Nick ? That will give the Senior DA time for some revision of last year's spells and charms."

"That's fine by me. It's not as if I've a filled agenda anyway ! I'll see you later, Ms Granger, Mr Potter. Have a good afternoon."

"Goodbye Sir Nick and you too." replied Harry and Hermione in near unison.

They looked at each other and smiled, before Hermione's eyes lit up as she looked at him.

"Harry, that was brilliant thinking. Now I know the Aevum Temporalis Clinica Spell too. I wonder though, … will we be able to talk about it ?"

"Yes, Hermione, we can. You just proved it. I heard you say the spell loud and clear. But I suppose none of the others will hear us when we talk about this."

Hermione immediately went off theorizing on all the possibilities this ghost-teaching could bring, but Harry was quick to stop her in her tracks. While most scholars would agree with Hermione, what with being as eager as she was to gain more knowledge, things wouldn't turn out as positive for the average witch and wizard. Ultimately it could well lead to the disappearance of the professions as such as everybody would be able to learn the specialised spells and charms. In turn this could result in the loss of jobs and thus also the loss of income for the majority of the wizarding community.

Harry suggested leaving things as they were for the moment but check with Dumbledore what the possibilities were. As to the time freezing spell, since Madame Pomfrey was eager to teach them the spell anyway, having Sir Nick teach them first would just speed the process along, something Harry was sure she wouldn't mind.

Later that afternoon Harry took the opportunity to visit the Practice Rooms. Armed with his cheat-sheets for Transfiguration and Charms he introduced himself to the guarding portrait of Mr Cratchit who immediately invited him to call him Bob and found himself directed to a largish classroom that housed no fewer than five portrait frames, even though only the one was currently occupied.

Again he introduced himself to the man in the portrait and told him what he had to practice before asking what he could do to help the portrait help him. Mr Appleby, the man in the portrait, obviously didn't hear that particular question often and was quick to tell Harry so along with a few pointers that would overcome the portrait's lack of vision in 3-D. They worked through Harry's list of spells, with Harry casting the spell first, followed by Mr Appleby correcting his pronunciation, wand movement or even his stance before Harry had another go at it.

They had been working like that for a good while when suddenly a clock indicating the time appeared out of nowhere thus signalling his one hour session in the Practice Room was nearly finished. Harry thanked Mr Appleby for his aid and returned to the Gryffindor Common Room trying to figure out exactly where he'd plant future visits to the Practice Rooms in his already busy weekly schedule.

Tuesday morning's mail brought Hedwig back from London much sooner than Harry had expected and it was therefore with some trepidation that he opened Remus' letter.

_Hello Harry,_

_This is just a quick note as I couldn't wait to tell you about Hedwig. There's no need for you to worry about her – as I know you do – for getting injured or trapped ever again. And how do I know ? Not from witnessing it myself I'm afraid, but the 5 eyewitnesses (one of which is Mad Eye Moody) can confirm the truth to my claim._

_Hedwig arrived this morning with your letter and – as I was in the shower when she got here – she headed down to the kitchen to wait for my arrival. One of the newer recruits was sitting there along with Mad-Eye and four others and decided that Hedwig should just give the letter to any of them, rather than waiting on the back of 'my' chair._

_So he aimed a rather harmless spell her way, but she evaded that, and continued to dodge the next several ones he sent her way. Mad-Eye described it as "she was teasing him until she was fed up with the game". After a little while Hedwig just landed on the chair again and this time didn't evade his spell coming her way. But rather than having the desired effect though, the spell simply reflected off a shield that appeared around Hedwig. Mad-Eye was quite impressed with the display and was the one to recognise the protection shield._

_Anyway, the real beauty was that said young recruit has learned a very valuable lesson – never to mess with Harry Potter, his friends or familiars, as the outcome for him was to be stunned by an owl ! He'll be teased for ages about that ! _

_Anyway, that's it for now. I haven't even read your letter yet but I'll write back by the end of the week._

_Take care and have fun._

_From all of us here._

_Love_

_Remus_

Harry couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud at the mental image he'd gotten from Remus' description and after handing the letter to Neville to read he turned towards his snowy white owl and petted and complemented her on her cleverness, quickly joined by the others as they finished reading the letter. It left him in a splendid mood for the entire day.

During the mid-morning break in Charms on Wednesday Harry had his first shock when Stephen Cornfoot handed him the registration list from the Ravenclaws and was told that the entire house student population not already in the DA had registered for the group.

When talking to his friends over lunch about it Ginny and Colin Creevey confirmed that the same was true for Gryffindor and that it was also to be expected for Hufflepuff house, which was proved right later that afternoon after Wizarding Society when Susan Bones handed him her list.

That's when Harry realised that rather than starting immediately with the proper Teen DA work he'd better try to weed out those only in it for the prestige. The Teen DA group would be too big and even dangerous if not everybody was as motivated. Surprisingly Hermione when told about the developments as she joined them was against discouraging students to join, saying that even a little practice would be good for them, but Neville with a little help from Harry talked her out of that idea pointing out that the Practice Rooms had been opened to all for exactly that purpose.

So as not to give away the location of the DA room to non-DA members too easily, Harry called upon the headmaster's cooperation and after explaining his reasoning, got permission to use the room off the Entry Hall for a first introduction.

The list Tonks handed him after DADA on Thursday with the Slytherin names of those who'd signed up was thankfully a lot smaller. The second and third years were all present as was to be expected, but from the more senior years, not too many had signed on.

By Friday lunchtime Harry had prepared all the invitation letters for those willing to attend any of the three DA sessions and with guidance from Mr Black had created the sign-up sheets for each of the DA sessions. These would not only record attendances but also any misuse the students would make of the spells and charms they learned during the DA that were not on the Hogwarts curriculum.

After a scrumptious lunch eaten at Black Manor he started on his regular schoolwork, and was soon happy he had had the foresight to start on his school work earlier in the week, as he could tell not only the quantity was bigger but also the intricacy of the theory was more complex than the week before.

He stopped work for dinner and joined his friends in the Great Hall and so heard the big announcement that had the younger years humming with anticipation. The headmaster told them about the ins and outs, the do's and don'ts of the Practice Rooms and that they would be getting a tour from one of their teachers tomorrow so to be sure to check the common room message board that evening to see the schedule.

With Saturday afternoon bringing Quidditch try-outs Harry returned to his studies after dinner and by the end of that day Harry was exhausted and could see how he would need to keep up regular work and make sure to organise his workload better if he wanted to get through the school year in one piece.

Saturday morning's potion class had flown by, and as Harry was having his lunch he read through the short note Charlotte had sent with Elijah. It said she was sorry to only send the one list with the inventory of all the presents that were ever sent to him but with her sister-in-law still in her muggle job they'd had had little spare time with all three kids down with severe colds.

Just before one Ginny, Ron and Harry made their way over to the Entry Hall to retrieve their brooms from the Location Locker where they'd stored them that morning and proceeded on from there to the Quidditch pitch for the try-outs.

Ron had posted the announcement for the try-outs last week and the whole house had been buzzing since with the idea of having a reserve team. Harry wondered what would happen when those interested learned of the brand new team brooms that both Gryffindor teams would end up playing with.

With Katie Bell, Ginny and Ron officially the only remaining players on the team they'd need quite a few new players. Knowing their limitations Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirke had indicated that they wouldn't mind helping out again, but that if Ron found someone better they wouldn't be devastated to be kicked off the team. But Ron had talked to them about the reserve team and they'd gladly accepted a spot there if a better couple of beaters came up.

Harry found out just how much work Ron had already put in as Quidditch captain when he explained the procedure to the many hopefuls that showed up. Ron had them all go through a first simple test. After all playing Quidditch required being able to fly and fly well at that.

With a little prior help from Madame Hooch, the twins and Remus – Ron now set up for the first test. Four identical brooms were charmed and placed at equidistance from the three others. Once mounted, the players would be subjected, much like on some of the muggle games or in simulators, to an obstacle course that would test the candidate's flying skills.

Although they themselves would be stationary, they had to follow a quaffle around a pitch, with that difficulty that the quaffle would make unexpected turns or suddenly speed up and that objects, obstacles and people-look-alike's would suddenly appear in the flyer's path. After each turn of the pitch the player would enter a higher and thus more advanced and more difficult level.

A charm cast on the flyer as they set off would monitor their actions and progress and gave Ron an overall score. To give Ron some reference points the five current members of the team would go first on the course, and when all candidates had had their turn the second part of the charm would list the best candidates and even recommend a position for that particular player.

After eliminating the lesser fliers, round two put the candidates up against each other and they were tested on the skills required for their position within the team.

It was well over three hours later before Ron called the try-outs closed and announced that the results would be posted by Monday morning on the Common Room Message Board.

Harry didn't return to his studies on Saturday but instead spent quite some time reading through his course books on Sunday. After lunch Ron called for the aid of the current players to talk about the try outs, with each of them commenting on the short list Ron had made.

Quite a number of first years had tried out and Ron had allowed them to. If they showed great potential they could be put on the reserve team allowing them to gain some good practice before potentially being allowed on the team next year.

What with Harry's busy schedule for the DA sessions, Ron had agreed for Harry to only participate in the practices scheduled on Saturday afternoons. The other session taking place on a weekday evening, which one ultimately depending on the availability of the team members, Harry wouldn't have to attend except in the week before a match. For that reason, Ron had selected two seekers, a first and a second year, so they could join in the practices, and allow two full teams to play.

The main team would stand with Ron, Keeper and Captain, Harry as Seeker, Beaters third years Ritchie Coote and Jimmy Peakes, close friends who played nearly as well as Fred and George and who had grown well over the summer holidays. Chasers would be Katie, Ginny and Demelza Robins who had shown a near instant rapport during the try outs.

The reserve team were largely younger students in an attempt to provide some continuity for the future team when first Katie, and then Ron and Harry would leave the school.

The idea Ron had come up with for the practices was to constantly mingle the players for the main and reserve team so they would all be ready to play in any team-configuration. After all it wouldn't do to practice with Katie, Ginny and Demelza, when the possibility was always there that Ginny would have to play seeker.

When Ron posted the team list late on Sunday evening he included the invitation to a first short team meeting set for Tuesday at eight to discuss the first proper team practice and tell the players of the brand new brooms they'd have at their disposal. Monday morning brought quite some excitement as the Gryffindors read about their newest Quidditch Teams.

By the time Monday evening came around Harry had to admit to feel quite nervous at the idea of speaking to well over a hundred students. After dinner he made his way over to the room Professor Dumbledore had allowed him to use. It wasn't quite that big, but as more and more students arrived, and the room started to get a little crowded Harry noticed it stretched just a fraction, to allow some more breathing space until the next wave of students arrived and the whole expanding process started over. But it happened so gradually that Harry was certain none of the students had actually noticed the enlargement taking place.

No new arrivals had come in the past several minutes so Harry started with the pre-meeting for the daunting crowd of his fellow students.

"Good evening and welcome to the introduction to the Defence Association, also known as the DA." Harry started.

"Before we get properly started with the DA I wanted to give you all a little information on the reason why we started the club last year, what you can expect this year, and a few ground rules to consider before actually joining properly.

When Umbridge made it clear she didn't plan on teaching us any practical defence, my friends and I were not happy, especially knowing that Voldemort had returned, no matter what the Ministry claimed about that. So we decided that we'd practice together, and we'd teach each other. I must admit that the crowd got a bit bigger than I first expected, but it still worked well. We focussed not only on the spells we read about in class, but also on anything that could be handy should we ever have to defend ourselves.

So that's basically it: we will practice spells you've learned in class, learn some that are not in the course books and we'll also look at the ways you can protect and defend yourself while waiting for help to arrive. If you want to join the DA just to get some extra supervised practice, please keep in mind that the Practice Rooms are now open to all and are the more appropriate option for that.

Unlike the other student groups, where participating is a free choice and you can decide on a weekly basis when to join in and when to stay away, the DA must ask for your commitment to not only attend the sessions each week but also to put in some additional personal practice in between sessions. Some spells are so complicated that we'll be spending more than one session on them, and given the amount of participants, individual tutoring is just not possible.

Joining the DA is not to be taken too lightly. For all of you, but for the 4th years among you especially, it will be hard work, and that on top of your regular school work. I will not tolerate shabby work from anyone as it would endanger not only yourself but anyone in your vicinity. So please do consider seriously before actually joining the DA if you are willing and able to commit to the extra work.

Other rules are basic I think: with so many participants we would insist on the common courtesy to be punctual when it comes to the starting time of the DA and we would hope for your cooperation while the DA is in session to help each other out. The idea is also not to use the spells you learn here to actually disrupt classes, flaunt school rules or tease or harm others.

Please once again ask yourself if you are really up for the additional work the DA will bring, and again also take into consideration the newly opened Practice Rooms that are at your disposal if the only thing you really want is some extra practice.

That's about it as far as I am concerned. I'll answer any questions you may have for me but not before I draw your attention to the attendance lists on the table by the door for you to sign before we start the DA proper. Unlike last year there is no nasty hex on there that activates should you talk to someone not in the DA about the DA, but we will be notified when you do use the spells for mischief and mayhem."

Wayne Hopkins, a 6th year Hufflepuff and a bit pompous, asked:

"You just mentioned there are those younger students present in this group. Isn't there a more advanced group for the NEWT students ?"

"While it is true that there are in fact two more groups, one for the second and third year students, the third group are those who participated in the DA last year, who have quite a bit of extra practice under their belt."

"But still, I'm sure the older students here would be just as good …" interrupted Wayne.

"Mr Hopkins, you took your OWLs last summer. May I ask about your DADA score, please ?" said Harry.

"I passed my test !" he replied rather put out at what Harry might suggest.

"The whole school passed their DADA test, Mr Hopkins, but exactly what score did you achieve, please ?"

"I had an A." he retorted.

"The average score for the Senior DA members was an Outstanding, Mr Hopkins, with only a few Exceeds Expectations in the entire list of those members taking either NEWTs or OWLs. Do you really think you'd be ready to join us immediately ? "

Harry continued talking but now looked at all the older students in the group.

"For those of you who are motivated and skilled enough, I had already planned to suggest to take the extra time and make the effort for additional sessions in the Practice Rooms with a view to possibly join the Senior DA after the Christmas break, but I can assure you that will be a hard task !"

One of the fourth years than asked about attendance and Harry explained that missing sessions wasn't really advisable, but that, if warned in advance about an absence due to a detention or illness, the DA could then take that into account and for instance not start with the planned two-session spell, but instead move that to the following week and plan another instead.

When no more questions were forthcoming, Harry indicated that those still interested in joining the DA were best to now sign the attendance list before they would move to the proper DA room.

Most of the seventh years came to Harry to express their regrets. They all agreed that they would really have loved to join in, but that with the workload already associated with their final NEWT year the extra work for the DA would just prove too much. The two seventh years who'd surprised him for signing on for the Teen DA were Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe. They'd waited for the others to finish before approaching him and it was Marietta who started off with apologising. With Marietta's father a late victim of the previous war years her mum was basically a single mum who'd raised her daughter alone. With Umbridge's threats to have her mum lose her job with the Ministry if Marietta didn't tell her about the DA, she'd really seen no other option but to comply. She said she would understand if Harry preferred them not to participate, but that she hoped he would allow them to enter the Teen DA sessions.

Realising she'd been put under similar stress as he'd been he asked them if they wouldn't join the Senior DA instead, but they both declined. Their workload would accommodate this relatively easier option taking into consideration they'd already studied most of it.

By the time they'd finished their talk and those who didn't want to join left, there were only a few left to sign the list and taking this opportunity, Harry sent a Prongs-message to Neville and Ron who were scheduled to help out that evening. Harry then beckoned the newest DA members – all eighty-four of them - to follow him.

Taking the main stairs the group climbed up to the sixth floor where Harry met up with both his dorm mates and he led them along to the newest DA room, showed them the painted guards, told them the password and they all made it inside the room.

Harry then explained about the password only working if he himself was inside, and even then would only allow them in on Mondays, with the guards alerting him if anyone showed up on either of the two other session-days. He also explained about the two helping students and that these would be different students each session before introducing Neville and Ron.

Just like last year's first DA session, Harry started them on the supposedly easy disarming spell. Seeing the mutinous face of Wayne Hopkins as he heard the first spell they were going to practice, Harry quickly selected four of the students and Hopkins himself and told them to disarm one particular student each from the remainder of the DA members. As expected none of them were successful although the fifth year came close to succeeding. Then he asked first Ron and then Neville to demonstrate their version of the disarming spell. So Harry explained how the spell had helped him against Voldemort, and that although most of them would be able to cast it, practice brought strength and accuracy that would be most helpful and could mean the difference between being alive and dead.

Harry divided the group into pairs and then the three supervisors each looked after a third of those pairs, giving pointers and aiding them in correctly casting the spells. After a first round of practice, Harry had the students make observations and ask questions and with answers and more pointers behind their belt he had them going for another practice round. After that second round the three supervisors switched groups and Harry gave a few more pointers to the entire group and then had them practice some more. Before sending the entire group off for the evening, he asked the five students who'd demonstrated before the class to have another go, and their overall success rate was much better. Harry couldn't help but notice though that Hopkins still did not do too well.

Wishing them a good week, Harry let everyone go back to their respective house common rooms before having a short talk with Neville and Ron about their first session. Neville had seen the dirty looks Wayne Hopkins directed in Harry's way several times and had asked about it. When Harry was done explaining about Wayne's question and the answer he'd received, Neville was nodding and remarked the Hufflepuff reminded him a little of Percy in his last years at Hogwarts. They cleared up the room, even though they knew the place would sort itself out, and then walked towards the portrait that acted as the entry-door to their House Common Room.

Ron and Neville made their way inside but Harry continued on to Professor Dumbledore's office to view the pensieve memories of the trial of Peter Pettigrew.

- - - - - - - -

Author's Note :

Hello everybody,

My apologies for the delay in posting. Where at first lots of work at work was keeping me from writing much lately Real Life hasn't been too kind and I've felt little need or want for writing. Hope you enjoy the new chapter though.

Thanks by the way to all of you anonymous readers who took the time to read my story and find it enjoyable enough to recommend it to others, put it on your update alert list or fav story list or even mark me as your fav writer. Those notices gave me a much needed morale boost.

Anyway, I would love some feedback from you. If you have any questions about the story, please don't hesitate. For a little extra info and pictures I can recommend my yahoo group (for link see profile page).

cheers

kadedeetje


	39. Chapter 38

The Half Blood Prince Revealed

Summary :

Harry's summer before sixth year is no different from the others. Around every corner surprises, good and bad, and adventure of all kind await. And it looks like the gods have finally granted Harry a possibility for a nicer life. What will this mean for his 6th year at Hogwarts ?

General Disclaimer :

I am just playing in the sand of JKRowling's literary produced beach and am attempting to build my own sandcastle for others to enjoy.

**38 : Routine ? Yeah, right !**

As Harry walked the short distance to the Headmaster's office he was hoping that with this trial he would get a better answer as to why Pettigrew had betrayed his friends but he feared that answer at the same time. From his conversations earlier in the summer with Sirius and Remus however he had learned that even having the answers didn't take away the pain, and no matter what or why, his parents were gone forever.

As soon as he'd made it up the revolving stairs and the door at the top was opened he realised he'd not be the only one to view the proceedings, as inside the office were Professor Flitwick and his own head of House, Professor McGonagall. Harry surmised from the look on their faces that both professors were equally as surprised to see him appear.

"Welcome Harry, how was your first DA meeting ?"

"A bit crowded at first, but it worked out well with both Neville and Ron's help."

"Excellent, Harry, why don't you come by for tea tomorrow and talk to me about it in some more detail ?"

"Thank you, sir, I will."

"Now you are all here, let's get this started and by the way, Harry, when your letter appears on stage, pay a bit more attention to Minister Fudge, will you. You don't want to miss it. Filius, Minerva, you too. You'll enjoy it."

They ended up in the large courtroom number ten, or one very much like it, by the looks of things, and this time all the seats available were taken by plum-colour-robed individuals.

The first fifteen or so minutes were pretty boring, as Madame Bones, explained to those gathered, what the procedure would be and whom they were about to take to trial.

When Peter finally arrived in the room, Harry was almost sorry for him, as he was a blubbering mess, his desolation clearly getting the better of him now he was away from the new prison. The long list of crimes he'd committed, and Harry noticed that quite a few of the Wizengamot members were surprised at the sheer number of details that were given, finally dealt with, once again one member doubted that this was indeed who they claimed him to be. So first off, Madame Bones herself cast the spell that made it visible to all that this was indeed Peter Pettigrew, aka Wormtail, aka Scabbers. She then brought up Harry's letter as first item on the official agenda.

The specialist was sent for and in shuffled a small stooped man. Harry saw the many wrinkles in his face and the white whiskers of his beard and at first impression thought the man might die at any moment. But once he was seated, he straightened up and looked around regally and his icy blue eyes seemed to take it all in.

Next it was Paul who was called in as Harry's representative. He made his way to the older man already seated and handed over Harry's dad's letter for inspection, verification and especially authentication and then retreated to the stands to await the outcome.

The specialist, Harry had missed his name, took the letter and cast a spell that caused a white fog to appear around the hand that held the letter, enveloping both in it. Obviously he saw things in that fog, and Harry was reminded a little of Professor Trelawney and her crystal balls, because he said in a far louder and more booming voice than was to be expected from such a fragile-looking man:

"I am the sixth person to touch this letter since it was created between 175 and 185 months ago. Two people - one male and one female - have handled the letter at the time of its creation. The male is the writer of the letter.

Three males have come in contact with the letter in the last eight or nine weeks, the youngest of the three clearly the son of the two people who were there when the letter was created, and the target of the 'loving spell' that was triggered upon his first contact.

There is, as I mentioned just now, the residue of a little loving charm cast by the female, and activated some eight or nine weeks ago, and there is some fancy transfiguration work done to it by the male and some more protective charms by both the male and female. These last spells and incantations are still active."

Harry was both impressed by the sheer number of details the man was able to come up with but also appalled at the idea there may have been bad spells attached to the letter.

The fog had now dissolved and the man took a few steadying breaths before handing the letter to the court clerk who transported the letter carefully from the man to Madame Bones.

Madame Bones accepted the letter from the young clerk and after a quick glance deposited it on her desk and then spoke to the Assembly. "Mr Watkins has kindly agreed for me to read the entire letter and for your information the transfiguration on the letter is there to hide information young Mr Potter will only get to see upon his majority on his 17th birthday."

It was at this time that Harry noticed Fudge gesticulating to the clerk. Once the latter too had noticed, it became clear that Fudge wanted to see the letter and the clerk readily obeyed the summoning.

The idea that Fudge would be reading this so very personal letter was upsetting enough for him, but when he noticed that he even got out his wand and started flinging spells at it, Harry was seeing red. Literally! It seemed that Fudge was about to get his come-uppance as in the blink of an eye the letter had turned red and gave off a whiff of smoke. Just as sudden the whole assembly was clearly made aware of the situation.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU ARE NOT MY SON. STOP THAT NOW. YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS TRYING TO READ THIS LETTER LET ALONE TRYING TO GET THE POTTER PASSWORD."

Fudge at this stage tried to reason with the voice and started saying "But I'm …", but the woman didn't give him a chance as she continued :

"I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE! THIS IS NOT YOUR LETTER ! WAIT UNTILL MY HUSBAND HEARS ABOUT THIS! YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU TOUCHED MY SON'S LETTER."

Harry was reminded of the howler Mrs Weasley had sent at the beginning of second year as the female voice shouted out her indignation to the deserving minister of magic. And the husband obviously had heard about the minister's wrong-doing. Fudge looked alright one minute and the next he erupted with spots – bright green ones, and yellow, pink, purple and blue and any other shade you could imagine. Upon seeing all the spots on his hands, Fudge dropped the still red letter and, just like a howler, it burst into flames and disappeared in a huff.

Silence reigned for a few seconds only as muffled noises were heard from all over the room. Too many people were trying to hold in their laughter however and their efforts soon proved in vain as most of them burst out laughing aloud.

"Twenty points to Gryffindor" Harry heard his Charms teacher say, but he himself was starting to panic when there was no sign left of the letter. But the moment the notion that he may have lost his letter for ever entered his head he felt the now familiar wash of warmth spread and he relaxed immediately. After all, his parents and Sirius were signalling him for sure that all was well with it. Looking out for his letter however, made him miss seeing the look of understanding suddenly appearing on Professor McGonagall's face. She came to stand next to him and said:

"All is not lost, Harry, just wait and see !"

He turned toward her with the relief visible in his eyes, as she continued.

"Just before you entered the office the headmaster gave me the cryptic message "Tell him all is not lost, just wait and see." Of course, you know how frustrating he can be so when I asked whom to tell and when, he just smiled and said "You'll know the right one when it's time"".

He surprised her by saying : "Thank you, professor, but I already have confirmation that the letter will be well."

In the mean time, Madame Bones, who'd taken in the situation, was doing her best to calm down the crowd, at the same time as trying to stay calm herself, what with the destruction of that letter and the clear misuse of power by the current minister and all the possible ramifications of such a stupid act.

Harry, a lot more relaxed now, divided time looking at the still heavily spotted Fudge and Paul, who was quickly scribbling a note. Once finished the man whispered a word and next thing the entire Wizengamot was stunned speechless when Lily flashed into existence right before Paul, grabbed his note, and just as quickly flashed away again.

Pandemonium broke loose at this point and Harry was surprised to see how these so called pillars of society were behaving. Madame Bones tried to restore some semblance of order but gave up on her efforts when she realised no one heard her speak in the first place.

It was minutes later and with Lily's reappearance on Paul's shoulder that things finally quieted down once again, the Wizengamot members now fully concentrating on things to happen. Paul quickly scanned the note the phoenix had delivered and visibly relaxed as he did so, in part also helped by the cheerful phoenix song Lily treated him to.

Madame Bones took the opportunity to steer the proceedings back to good order and, in a normal voice, asked Paul for the meaning of his behaviour.

"Madame Bones, my apologies for this breach of conduct, but I was worried about my client's treasured letter. Minister Fudge's clear lack of respect for Mr Potter's property caused its apparent destruction just now, as some of you might have noticed, and my only hope lay in the protective spells that Mr Barnaby said had been applied to the letter by Mr and Mrs Potter."

"You received an answer to your enquiry ?"

"Yes, Madame Bones, I asked Mr Potter's Account Manager at Gringotts to check the Potter Family vault and mere minutes ago an automatic deposit has been made. We cannot be sure until Mr Potter receives permission to revisit his family vault and can verify in person however."

"Very well, Mr Watkins, you'll keep the court informed of that outcome ?"

"Of course, Madame Bones, I will see to this as a matter of some urgency."

Madame Bones, clearly back in charge of the proceedings then continued to give Fudge the reprimanding he was more than due for and the result was that he was banned from handling any pieces of evidence in any and all future cases. He left the court room under the pretence having his multi-coloured spots looked at, but Harry thought he just took them as an excuse to save face somewhat.

The remainder of the case was a bit of a disappointment for Harry. As he'd half expected and half feared he didn't learn much that was new, other than that Remus had been correct in his assumption earlier in the summer that Peter, once leaving school, had missed the guiding force of his friends and mother, and had been taken in by the superficial flattering from some of the senior death eaters.

He earned himself quite some standing within death eater ranks when he'd been able to come up with lots of additional information regarding upcoming raids and other auror actions. With aurors in the death eater ranks that could corroborate the basics, he was soon looked upon as a prime spy, a role he'd more than willingly played out, and somehow he'd never revealed his animagus knowledge or form. And whereas he admitted to protect his friends in what little way he could in the beginning of his 'career' as a death eater, by the time he was made their secret keeper he had had no reservations nor regrets anymore to hand them over to Voldemort.

When it was clear it was the end of Peter's trial Harry expected to be ejected from the pensieve only to hear Madame Bones talk about a short break before starting on the next case. A smooth transition from one memory to another later and Harry found himself in the same courtroom with nearly all the people of just before in the same places only in the prisoner's seat sat a near unrecognisable Deloris Umbridge.

Unkempt and in seriously creased though clean looking robes she sat, not even bothering to wipe her face or nose, even though she was crying profusely.

Madame Bones was explaining the case and Harry started listening with more interest as soon as he heard his name mentioned.

"It wasn't until several of the other witnesses also stated that amongst others Mr Potter was often serving detention with Madame Umbridge, that we actually examined the Hogwarts Detention Logbook that did not mention these detentions. As I stated before, the actual allegations sometimes did and most often did not correspond with said logbook.

Initial checks did not show any tampering, but we asked a Gringotts employee, more specifically a curse breaker, to have a look and he, just last Friday, was able to identify and remove the many spells put upon it. The logbook ended up displaying a staggering amount of detentions for last year and we would therefore like to postpone this session to allow us to question all the students who had detentions with Madame Umbridge. If our first impressions are correct the mind healers of St Mungo might have to be involved in some of the cases to make sure these students receive proper help."

"But why didn't the students complain about these detentions, if they were so bad ?" asked one of the Wizengamot members, slightly baffled by the notion.

"There is on the one hand the mild to strong compulsory effect that the user of a Blood Quill will keep its use a secret, but also, the students quickly noticed that even the teachers weren't safe from Madame Umbridge's wiles, as demonstrated by numerous decrees, inspections and ultimately, the dismissal of several teachers and the headmaster himself. The students didn't want to be the cause for more trouble for their teachers."

A stunned silence fell after this last statement and when Madame Bones called for the postponement of the case once more a unanimous "yes" was voted.

This time Harry was indeed ejected from the pensieve and after agreeing with the three professors that Fudge's punishment was well deserved and brilliantly meted out, the confirmation that Harry would join Dumbledore for tea after his Arithmancy class the next day both he and Professor McGonagall made their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

Twice did Harry have to give an account of what had happened : once for his friends who'd stayed up to hear all about it, and once again when Harry met up with Sirius and Remus in his dreams that night.

As Harry had already figured Sirius did confirm that the letter had made it back to his vault. It was the only thing that came out halfway serious though as Sirius was howling with laughter when Harry told them about Fudge's incident with the letter.

On Tuesday morning rain was pouring down. A lot of the owls were drenched when they came to deliver the morning mail. The paper however had survived the downpour, much to Minister Fudge's regret most likely, as the headline and matching picture did not bode well for him.

_Showing his true colours ?_

_By R.E. Porter_

_This morning the first of the Death Eater trials took place in the courtrooms of the Ministry of Magic. _

_Much to our surprise Minister Fudge emerged from the courtroom shortly after the start of the trial and he was not looking too good, as seen in the pictures._

_The official statement and trial summary brought no explanation for his appearance and it wasn't until I was reading through the Court Room Comments that we learned of the less-than-honourable ways of our Minister. _

_When early on in the trial a letter was entered as evidence, our Minister managed to get a hold of it. Although unusual this did not pose the problem. Concealed behind some kind of shield the letter contained private information that was irrelevant to the case. _

_Minister Fudge however tried to get the letter to reveal its secret, but he had not counted on the protective charms cast upon it. The letter turned into a howler and the protection activated, giving the Minister his colourful looks. The letter however disappeared and may well have been destroyed. _

_The least of accusations he will be looking at is tampering with evidence and most likely he will be monitored more diligently in his dealings with paperwork. One could after all ask the question just how much liberty the Minister has taken with important and confidential information in the past._

_As for the result of the first Death Eater trial against Peter Pettigrew please see the transcript of the Summary of the Wizengamot hearing in the article below. The second trial of the day against Deloris Umbridge, former Ministry employee, was suspended after a short session. The DMLE had just last Friday come across a vast amount of additional material that still needed to be verified. _

_The next Death Eater trial against Augustus Rookwood is scheduled to start at 9:00 this coming Wednesday._

Although most students commented on and laughed with the picture of Fudge not many comments were made on the trial of Peter Pettigrew as most of the information was a repeat of the data given during the summer holiday. Classes went ahead as usual and it didn't seem that long before Harry made his way back to the Headmaster's office for tea.

The tea tray was laden with goodies and both the headmaster and he had served themselves when Professor Dumbledore surprised him by handing over a letter to read from Madame Bones requesting the headmaster to allow Harry to leave school to check up on his father's letter at his earliest convenience.

"The Wizengamut want to know about the letter as soon as possible as its destruction will cause a lot of trouble for Minister Fudge. Most members of the Wizengamut have realised that he's more of a hindrance than help and want him out of office and put to trial as well!

I believe they'll expect you to be allowed to go this weekend, but would you mind going today ? I think it will be less of a risk to go soon."

Harry nodded his consent as Professor Dumbledore continued and picked up a silver spoon from his desk and handed it over to him.

"I've contacted Remus and Moody, who will meet up with you in the Leaky Cauldron at 16:45. I also have this emergency portkey that will deliver you straight back here when you say Prongs should you need it. Otherwise you can use my fireplace to floo in and out.

Did you have any questions regarding anything you've seen last evening ?"

"As a matter of fact I have. What was all the commotion about when Lily appeared ? Surely they've seen Fawkes before this ?"

"Actually, the appearance of a phoenix is not that common an occurrence, Harry, but what really caused the extreme reactions was the fact that Mr Watkins, a well enough known werewolf, was able to call for one. In their eyes werewolf equals dark creature, and as you know phoenixes would be considered the exact opposite. This will make some people think twice the next time they meet up with a werewolf. What with the support Remus got from his students this summer, and now Lily's appearance, if not all, a lot more people will start to look at the person and his deeds, then at the tag "werewolf". True changes don't happen overnight but it's small things that can set in motion a true avalanche. "

In the silence that followed the headmaster's statement Harry heard a small tinkling bell that seemed to bring the headmaster out of a reverie as he started talking again.

"That was my clock saying it's time for you to go and meet Remus and Moody. Have a safe trip, Harry and give my regards to Remus."

Harry made it over to the Leaky Cauldron without mishaps and was greeted there by both Remus and Paul, with a quiet hello too from an ever invisible Moody. Griphook was waiting for them once they'd made it over to Gringotts and Harry's trip down to the family vault was as uneventful as could be. After a quick check-up of the letter Harry returned to the ground level floor of the bank and followed Griphook to a private meeting room where the three wizards discussed their options.

Much to Harry's surprise the letter had changed in that an added PS had appeared at the bottom.

"PS Harry, on 16 September 1996 someone tried to get the Potter password. Don't panic, of course they didn't succeed, your mother and I made sure of that. And if you are wondering who the culprit was, just check the newspaper of the time – who ever did it will surely have made the headlines! If on the other hand you are aware of what happened you might be pleased to know the effects of the protection hex will last for about a week, but only as long as they don't try to remove the effects. Each and any attempt to remove them will result in longer or worse conditions or a combination of both. Your mother made me at least limit the duration, so after one month the spots will gradually disappear. Or, if you want, but only you, can cast a simple "finite incantatem maxima" to stop the show immediately."

Remus had had a good laugh at Fudge's misfortune, knowing how the minister would have had all and sundry try to get rid of the spots once he himself did not succeed. Paul, after chuckling along at first, became all business again, and suggested asking Madame Bones for advice what with the possibilities of discrediting Fudge even more.

Madame Bones, once brought up to speed regarding the slightly altered letter, agreed with Paul that they could use the "not the same letter anymore" as a good tool in a trial against Fudge.

Harry returned to Hogwarts and tackled his ever growing amount of work. It looked more and more like the best advise he'd been given with regard to his NEWT years would have to be "Work regularly so you can keep up".

The quidditch team meeting only lasted about an hour, with Ron starting out with the agreement to have Quidditch practice on Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons and he continued by explaining Harry's role as main Seeker, but the circumstances leading to him not attending the week-day sessions. And, almost as if in an afterthought Ron came with the news of the entire team, reserve and all, having brand new top of the art brooms and Harry laughed at the stunned faces of all those not in the know yet. The remaining time of the meeting had predictably been about those new brooms and a few of the players had wanted to go out to practice that instant, even when Ron pointed out it was raining cats and dogs outside.

Wednesday evening's first Junior DA session went very well. Harry had spoken to Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott, who were that evening's assistants, beforehand about what had happened in the Teen DA session. But this younger group was eager to learn and were surprisingly disciplined in following instructions. Harry's further fears that the experience-gap between the second and third years would be too big, were quickly gone when he found that at this age the year of non-practical classes had done little for the students to keep their earlier practical knowledge.

From an old school book from the Black library that Mr Black had pointed out Harry had come up with a fun and practical method of teaching the different wand movements. As the book had mentioned performing just the movements correctly resulted in the wand spouting all kinds of forms, like sparks or stars or a trailing ribbon of any colour. It wasn't exactly Defence Against the Dark Arts, but it was good practice for Transfiguration and Charms too and Harry was convinced this wasn't a waste of time and would prove useful in later sessions.

The students had had fun as Harry had explained that with a little practice and in combination with the correct word these sparks and stars and ribbons became visible on clothing and skin if they hit you. It was therefore a sweaty, loud, cheerful and colourful group that left the DA room at the end of their first session. On the landing of the fifth floor Main stairs the whole group split up, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins to continue lower still to their respective dormitories, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws making their way back up through the east or west wing stairs, with wishes for good nights and sweet dreams from one group to the other.

Thursday brought the usual mix of classes for Harry and the free mornings for Ron and Neville. Breakfast brought news from the second trial with once again a long list of crimes committed by Rookwood and the same sentence of "Life in Hell Prison" as Pettigrew had received.

By lunch time Hermione started to look decidedly grumpy and it only got worse as the afternoon progressed. From his Care of Magical Creatures Class with Hagrid Harry sent Hedwig with an invitation to tea with the half giant, and it was only upon her arrival that Hermione realised they'd organised her a birthday party with her parents attending.

A large birthday cake took pride of place in the corner of the room, well out of harm's way and it was surrounded by a pile of presents. Not surprisingly a large number of the presents turned out to be books.

One of them was a book gifted by Mr Black, the start of the magical matriarchal family Granger. As the note explained it was a very old tradition that did not look upon the men of the family for hereditary purposes but towards the women. Hermione would surely be the first in a long line of clever and lovely women to grace whatever families they married into. When she opened up the book however the pages were empty. From his talks with Mr Black Harry recalled that in the wizarding world the exact time of birth did play a large role for certain things, so he suggested that maybe her actual birth-time was still to come, a fact her mother confirmed.

It was several packages later, with books, fancy writing supplies or vouchers for the more popular shops in Hogsmeade that Harry's gift came into view. From the smallish package came a smooth piece of wood, not pale like Harry's trunket was, but the deep rich reddish brown of mahogany wood. With a very innocent face Harry said "You were so enamoured of Ginny's Teen Witch Special that I figured you'd like one too.", knowing full well she had liked it as a perfect present for the younger witch, but in no way wanted one herself. For those who knew her well Hermione's face showed her disappointment at the news. She did go through the motions in visiting the three compartments. The first one was the standard simple trunk to store all kinds of loose things, the second compartment turned out to be a medium sized walk in clothes cupboard, that left Hermione slightly more cheered.

The third compartment was what made the trunk bespoke for Hermione, rather than the Teen Witch Special for Ginny. It was a modest sized study cum library with a simple desk on one side and two easy chairs in the other corner. There was room on two walls for pictures or paintings, and the two other walls had floor to ceiling tapestries, depicting two very different scenes. All the other wallspace was taken up by bookcases and all but two of them were empty. Hermione took no time in exploring the titles available. She seemed to have recognised several and turned to Harry with a question about to be asked and Harry quickly explained.

"You all know how thick I can sometimes be about things so it wasn't until this summer that I figured that I did not have to wait to have a family of my own until I'm married and we are hopefully blessed with kids. This past summer made me realise I've had an ever growing family since I entered the wizarding world and that you, Hermione, are really as close as or even closer than any sister I could wish for …"

Harry couldn't finish as Hermione had him nearly bowled over in her rush to thank him and it was amidst the ensuing laughter that Harry took the opportunity to whisper in her ear that more detailed explanations could wait for the weekend when more discretion was possible.

A few more smaller presents followed and then she was handed the very last present by her mother. From the box came a long strand of pearls and Hermione was more than touched as she recognised them as her grandmother's. As Hermione hugged her mother something fiercely it was her father who explained to those around that the pearls were a family heirloom having been passed on from mother to eldest daughter for several generations. They had lost track of exactly when the tradition had started but they were sure that Hermione was at least the seventh to receive them.

There was a lot of talk and cake eating before the party split up and the group did not do justice to the usual wonderful Hogwarts dinner that evening. Hermione's spirits however had completely lifted and they spent the remainder of the evening just chatting and playing all sorts of games with any of their fellow Gryffindors.

Friday morning however brought the return to routine, reading and learning for Harry, especially now that his Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons too would be taken by the Senior DA sessions and Quidditch trainings.

Senior DA was as good as it had been the previous year. Harry started the session off with the four assistants of the week giving their feedback to the group, so those in line for the following week knew more or less what to expect. The Patronus was next on the agenda, and although a few more had managed to now make a fully corporeal Patronus, many were still frustrated at their lack of result, so Harry started on the messenger spell, which would surely boost their confidence, seeing their Patronus, however small, for the first time. Much giggling and blushing followed, as the messages carried a lot more information than expected, a common mistake in the early days. At the end of the session Harry reminded them not to use the spell during classes, but to keep practicing and finding themselves practice partners.

Quidditch was a delight. The first fifteen minutes or so the team had fun just flying about and testing out their new brooms. After this warming up, Ron explained his plans for this first training. During his free Thursday morning Ron had already practiced with the reserve keeper, the gangly third year Ben Weatherstaff. Katie and Ginny, the two remaining members of last year's team would be practicing with the chasers with Ben guarding the hoops. Ron worked with the beaters, having them pass the bludgers between them. This left Harry with the two Seekers whom he made play 'follow the leader' with him acting very much like a snitch on the run to start off their session. They ended the session by playing two short games of Quidditch. The first was totally unprepared for, with Ron taking notes and Harry taking his place as Keeper in the game. The second already went a lot better as Ron had taken the short break in between the games to point out what some of the players were doing wrong or where they could improve their game. All in all the team was very excited about their first full training.

By the time Harry was ready for bed on Sunday evening he truly hoped that the following days would become a bit more routine. Just three weeks into the school year and already he felt like he'd been back a full semester.

Author's Note :

Hello everybody,

Just over two years it's been. I'm sure you'd long given up on me and this story. Hope you enjoy the new chapter. Please let me know what you think. I will continue with the story, but I'm not going to sugar coat it either … I will most likely be a long time before I'm able to finish it (not to mention the sequel for Harry's 7th year !).

Thanks by the way to all of you anonymous readers who took the time to read my story and find it enjoyable enough to recommend it to others, put it on your update alert list or fav story list or even mark me as your fav writer. Those notices gave me a much needed morale boost.

cheers

kadedeetje


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